Death's Beginning
by Phoenix-Flame-Fantasy
Summary: Duo's past catches up with him when he least expects it, and the secret he has been keeping hidden for years is finally forced out into the open. Crossover between Gundam Wing and Dragonball Z.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me.

Hey folks, I've been playing around with this crossover idea for some time now, and I thought that it's due for release into the wide world of FanFiction.

It's a crossover between **Gundam Wing** and **Dragon Ball Z**, which I think is an interesting mix. There aren't many out there, so I thought I'd take a shot at doing something new, and voila! I'm really happy with this fic.

Though I'm fond of Shounen-ai and even yaoi, I decided to leave it out of this fic for the sake of pleasing all types of readers. But if you are a fan of boy / boy love then go ahead and read into any subtle hints you can find because if I get around to finishing this, there will be a sequel that involves get-togethers and lots of boy love. Goody!

Anyway, the fic starts out in the DBZ world, and eventually switches to the GW world, so don't go getting confused just yet. Everything will fall into place as you read along.

Hope you have as much fun reading this as I had writing it! - Phoenix-Flame-Fantasy (PFF)

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**Death's Beginning**

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**Chapter 1**

Gohan giggled with glee as he soared through the skies. The wind ruffled his unruly black hair and the setting summer sun illuminated his youthful face with a warm orange glow.

Icarus gave a cheerful gurgle as he flapped his wings up and down and sailed on the wind. Gohan was comfortably situated on the small purple dragon's back and enjoying yet another fun filled hours with his animal friend.

Gohan had known Icarus for many years now and together they had explored the world, having the occasional adventure every now and then along the way. Today though, they had nothing planned except to enjoy freedom and the beautiful sunset.

Icarus had appeared at Gohan's bedroom window an hour ago, whining pitifully and looking though the glass with pleading eyes. It had become routine over the past few months to meet up at least once a week. Gohan would always abandon his studying and jump out o the window onto Icarus' back, and together they would take off into the skies. Of course, he would always have to face the wrath of his mother when he eventually returned home, but it was worth it just to be able to act like any seven-year-old would during childhood.

Then again Gohan was not just any seven-year-old, and he certainly did not have what could be called a 'normal' childhood.

If 'normal' was to have an alien for a father, a mother who forces her son to study at least twelve hours a day, to have a tamed dragon and tall green alien as best friends, to have other close family friends that are the best fighters and geniuses in the universe; if normal was to own superpowers, to have defended Earth from the age of four, travelled into space to a far away planet, fought and survived the wrath of an evil tyrant of the universe, had family and friends die then wished back to life again…then yes, Gohan was 'normal'.

But for now he was free, flying without a care in the world.

Gohan whooped as Icarus completed a loop-the-loop, defying gravity at amazing speeds. He flung out his arms wide and his fingertips skimmed the whips of fluffy clouds on either side, causing refreshing water moisture to collect on his skin in a fine sheen.

He chose that moment to look down at the ground thousands of feet below him and saw the peaks of desert mountains reaching up towards him as if clawing at the skies.

"Hey Icarus! Let's go explore the desert mountains! Look, there's a rocky area down below us through the clouds where we can land!"

Icarus yipped I response and suddenly plunged down through the fluffy clouds, folding his wings back to streamline his body, almost unseating Gohan who drew his arms back in sharply and clutched his friend's horns.

Only meters from becoming a messy splat on the rocks, Icarus opened his wings and the descent jerked to a stop in mid air. Gohan leapt off the dragon's back before he had even landed, and his feet barely touched the ground as he skipped over the rocks on the mountain ledge.

"Come on Icarus, Keep up!" He shouted over his shoulder. The purple dragon flapped after him looking excited and curious at the prospect of new unexplored territory.

Gohan stopped short as he came across another rocky ledge just above him where a huge tree had grown against all odds in the barren landscape. The trees boughs spread wide and created a nice and cool shady spot.

The black-haired boy scrambled up the rocky ledge until he found himself level with the tree, but the tree became unimportant as he spotted a huge gaping hole in the side of the mountain that was half hidden in shade.

"Oooh…a cave!" Gohan said excitedly as he stood at the entrance of the dark cavern.

He held out his palm with a gin and watched as a small ball of bright white energy formed, only the size of a golf ball, but it was enough to act as a plentiful light source.

One of the perks of being half alien meant that he had a more natural control over his body's energy, better know as ki. It usually took years of training for a human to gain the control that he already had.

Holding his ball of light up high he entered the pitch-black cave. The white light shone on the walls and made eerie shadows jump out of corners and retreat into further darkness.

Gohan eagerly moved deeper inside and saw that it was far bigger than it appeared from the outside, and it travelled further back into the mountain in a series of tunnels. Unlike outside where it was sweltering hot and dry, the inside of the cave was damp, and a chill hung in the stale air causing Gohan to shiver as the cold penetrated his thin white t-shirt and blue shorts.

Something warm and moist touched his right ear.

He jumped a mile and whirled around holding up his light. He was relived to only find Icarus playfully licking him.

"You scared me boy! Don't do that!"

Icarus cocked his head to one side innocently. Gohan turned around again and thoughtfully inspected the route in front of him. The cave split into two separate tunnels, one left, one right, and he was stuck with the choice of which one to take.

"Hmmm…I'll take the right, Icarus, you take the left. If you find anything interesting then come and get me, OK?"

Icarus bobbed his head and flew to the left, while Gohan walked to the right.

Five minutes later after following the winding tunnel, Gohan came across a boring dead end and was forced to turn around and go back the way he came.

He was only half way back when the sound of flapping wings came closer at a fast rate and in a blur of purple, Icarus appeared in front of him.

The little dragon yipped frantically as if trying to tell him something important, then darted forwards and grabbed a mouthful of Gohan's t-shirt and started to pull him down the tunnel.

"What is it Icarus? Have you found something?"

Icarus just tugged harder.

"OK, OK! I'm coming!"

Icarus flew off hastily and Gohan ran after him. They turned down the left tunnel and carried on for a few minutes winding between damp rocky walls until the small tunnel stopped abruptly and opened up into a huge hollow cavern.

Gohan stopped still, staring in wonder at the roaring waterfall that fell from a natural chute in the impossibly high, smooth rock ceiling into a deep crystal clear rock pool in the cavern floor. Light reflected off the water surface sending silver ripples across the cavern walls that seemed to dance merrily.

Small holes in the rock ceiling sent shafts of filtered dim golden light down into the spacious room. Wherever the light touched, luscious green plants sprung up, with the occasional pastel coloured flower reaching up high towards the pale glow.

It was like a private haven.

Icarus nudged his arm and Gohan tore his eyes away from the beautiful sight to look down at him. "Wow Icarus, it's amazing," He breathed out quietly.

Icarus nudged him further into the open cavern.

"What?" He asked in a confused voice as he let his glowing ki ball extinguish and he dropped his hand to his side.

The dragon tugged at his t-shirt again and guided him over to the other side of the cavern towards a shadowed corner. As Gohan stepped closer his enhanced hearing picked up an unusual sound over the roar of the waterfall.

It sounded like someone crying.

Drawing forth his ki again he held a new glowing ki ball up high.

The shadows drew back to reveal a small child, estimated to be about his own age. From the angle that Gohan was standing at he couldn't tell if it was a she or a he because the person's face was buried in their arms and their knees were drawn up tightly to their chest.

The child was only dressed in a thin baggy grey t-shirt and grey shorts with white sneakers. Their small thin frame shook with sobs and cold shivers.

"Hello?" Gohan called out cautiously.

The child's body froze and the tears stopped instantly. Then ever so slowly the person's head rose and looked up at Gohan.

Gohan stared in amazement into the most beautiful expressive eyes he had ever seen. They were an unusual cobalt blue that was tinted a deep amethyst in the light, and shone with diamond tears.

Short chestnut hair fell loosely all over the place. There was no style to it and Gohan was strongly reminded of his own hair, only the child's locks were shorter.

It was easier to distinguish the child as a boy now, even though he did seem feminine from a distance because of the thin, frail body structure.

As Gohan took a step forwards the boy scuttled away backwards with fear etched on his face.

"It's OK, I'm not going to hurt you," Gohan said soothingly.

The boy peered up at him, wiping away his tears. He looked unhealthily ill with his thin face, pale skin, and red rimmed eyes with dark bags underneath.

"W- Who are you?" He sniffled.

_Yep, definitely a boy._

"My name is Gohan."

For some bizarre reason the boy seemed to flinch at the name, but put on a brave face and seemed to dismiss his thoughts. "Y- You're not h- here to take me b- back are you?" His voice hitched occasionally making him stammer.

"Er, no since I don't know where you're from." Gohan replied honestly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "What's your name?"

"Um, Project22Shinigami…but Dr. Gero j- just calls me Shinigami or 22 for short."

Gohan frowned. "Huh? That's not a proper name…well what do you want me to call you?"

"I don't mind…just nothing bad."

"OK, how about…Shin? It's short for Shinigami, right?"

"Its fine," The boy gave a small wry smile. For some reason Gohan had the perception that Shin hadn't had much to smile about in the past because the guesture seemed oddly weak.

"That's good. Now what are you doing in this damp cold cave in the middle of the desert mountains?"

"I'm hiding," The newly named Shin whispered secretively.

Gohan sat down on the dusty stone floor next to Shin but kept his distance so the boy wasn't scared. "From who?"

"Dr. Gero. He's a bad man so I ran away and now he's going to be angry so I'm hiding here where he won't find me."

"Well its nice here and all, but it's not a very good place to live, so do you want to come and stay at my house? You're safe with me and my mother. We have food and you can share my bed."

The boy's face lit up. "Food? Do you have lots of it? I'm really hungry; I haven't eaten anything for days…"

Gohan felt even more pity towards the boy. "How long have you been here?"

"Um, I'm not sure, but I think that it's been about a day. I ran away at midday sometime yesterday."

The pity intensified and a strong rage was aimed at this Dr. Gero person. He was obviously not treating Shin very well by the sound of it. _What kind of person wouldn't feed a child in their care for days?_

"How old are you?" Gohan asked curiously.

"Dr. Gero says that I physically look seven, but I was only born seven days ago…so I'm not really sure."

_What? That doesn't make any sense… _"Let's just leave it at seven years old."

"OK," Shin said quietly, but then his eyes landed on Gohan's glowing white ki ball as if he had only just spotted it. "You're not gong to hurt me are you?" Shin asked fearfully as if he knew the potential damage a ki blast could do.

"I'm not going to harm you. This thing is just…um…it's…it's a new type of torch," Gohan lied quickly. "It's only just been invented."

Shin frowned but then relaxed slightly and nodded in acceptance. He reached out with his fingertips to touch the surface of the pulsing energy.

Gohan sharply drew his hand back to stop the boy from burning himself. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, it's hot. But anyway, do you want to get out of here and come home with me?"

"Yeah. I'm cold and lonely, and tired and starving and- AH!" Shin yelled in fright and pointed at something that was drinking out of the rock pool.

That 'something' happened to be purple with wings.

"Oh don't worry, that's only Icarus. He's my friend, he won't hurt you."

Still looking wary, Shin got to his feet and dusted himself down before looking at Gohan with a thoughtful frown. "Isn't it bad to be friends with someone?"

Gohan blinked in surprise. "Where did you get that crazy idea?"

"Dr. Gero always told me that I had to pretend to like someone to become their friend. He made friendship sound bad."

"Well he's wrong, it's a good thing. Do you know what friendship really means?"

Shin shook his head so Gohan tried explaining. "A friend is someone you can trust. A friend is always there for you to rely on."

Shin was silent for a moment.

"Can you be my friend?" He asked meekly.

Gohan gave no hesitation. "Of course Shin."

Gohan flashed a grin at his new friend, and to his surprise Shin flashed one back.

The scary thing was that it was an identical grin to his own. It was like looking in a mirror.

Shin switched his gaze to once again stare at Icarus warily so he missed the strange look that Gohan was giving him.

"What kind of animal is it?" Shin asked, bringing Gohan back to attention. The black-haired boy quickly figured out that he was asking about Icarus.

"He's a dragon."

"Wow! Can he fly? And breathe fire? What does he eat? Has he ever killed anyone?"

"Well he can fly, but he can only puff out smoke. He only eats vegetation and fish, and no, he's never killed anyone, he's a friendly and harmless dragon."

Any trace of remaining fear left Shin's face as he stumbled over to Icarus on weak wobbly legs, and held his hand out for the small dragon to sniff.

Icarus accepted the gesture and then playfully licked Shin's palm causing the boy to laugh. The messy brown-haired boy was then pounced on playfully and licked all over his face.

"Ewww!" Shin squealed. "Dragon breath! Ah ha ha! Stop it! That tickles!"

Gohan watched in amusement as they rolled around on the floor and Shin's laughter echoed around the cavern over the thundering sound of the waterfall.

He looked down at his watch which was strapped to his wrist and did a double take when he saw the time.

"Oh no! It's almost half eight! Mom is going to kill me! It's past my bedtime! We have to go now! Quick!"

Icarus understood immediately and jumped up flapping his wings urgently. He darted off out of the cavern back down the tunnel towards the exit.

"Shin, get on my back, I'm going to carry you!"

"Why? I can walk." He said as he got to his feet again.

"No time! This is faster! Come on!"

"OK…" Shin said unsurely as he climbed on board.

Gohan made sure he was on securely and shifted his ki ball slightly in his hand so he could use it to light the way ahead.

"Hold tight!"

Faster than humanly possible, Gohan ran out of the beautiful cavern without a backward glance and through the dark winding tunnel. Everything was just a blur.

Suddenly they emerged into the light as they left the mountain cave all together and fresh air and warmth washed over them. Gohan dissipated his ki ball because he didn't need it anymore.

Without a seconds thought, he jumped into the air and pushed his ki down at the floor, lifting him up in flight.

He flew up high into the sky just below the clouds and headed in the direction of home with Icarus flying at his side.

Gohan could feel Shin's rigid body on his back and the boy's grip was painfully tight on his arms, even though Gohan was super resilient to pain.

"Sorry, I should have given you a better warning about what I was going to do," Gohan called up to him apologetically.

"W -Wha?" Shin stammered back sounding stricken.

"Don't worry I'm not going to drop you so you're safe."

"I -I'm not scared…just surprised." Shin spoke over the whistle of wind as both of their messy bangs whipped around their faces. "I didn't expect that at all!"

"Well it's the quickest way to get home,"

"Can I just check that I'm not dreaming? We are flying, right?"

"Yep."

"Wow, are you using ki to do it?"

Gohan almost fell out of the sky in shock. "How do you know about ki?" He asked in disbelief.

"Dr. Gero taught me about it and I've seen it used. I know lots of things, like you can use it to fly, create energy blasts that act like bombs, it can be manipulated to make you faster and stronger than before, and you can track a person down by their individual ki signature using only your mind!"

"Can you do any of that?" Gohan asked faintly.

"I can only sense ki, but I'm not very good at it. I left before Dr. Gero could teach me more. He wanted me to do horrible things with it so I didn't want to learn."

_Someone else knows how to use ki? I'd better learn more about this Dr. Gero. Is he a friend or foe?_

"What sort of horrible things?"

"He wanted me to kill."

_Sounds like a foe to me. Oh darn, I hope he's not strong. We only saved the world and defeated Garlic Jr. recently. Can't I have a break?_

"Killing is wrong. Even if someone tells you to do it, you shouldn't."

"I know!" Shin wailed miserably, burying his face into Gohan's neck. "I don't want to kill! I don't want to be a freak, I want to be normal like everyone else!"

"It's good that you don't want to kill, but you're not a freak. Why do you think that?"

"Dr. Gero calls me that, he says I'm a failure, I'm weak and useless, and not worth his time."

"That's not true!" Gohan replied, putting force behind his words to make Shin see sense. "Don't believe him! You were right, he is a bad man."

Gohan felt hot tears splash onto the back of his neck.

"Hey, don't cry, everything is going to be OK,"

"I can't help it," Shin sobbed.

"OK then, how about I cheer you up!" Gohan said brightly and shot up higher into the sky. They broke through the clouds and skimmed above them.

The last of the dying sun's rays lit up the clouds and made them glow pink like candyfloss, creating a beautiful view. Shin gasped in awe of the scenic sight and his tears slowed to a stop. "Wow…"

"Do you want to experience what you can do when you fly?"

"Yeah!" Shin nodded favourably.

"Hold on and don't let go!" Gohan shouted and flared his ki in a blaze of white around him.

He then began a show of aerobatics, doing loop-the-loops, dives, flying upside down, spinning, cart wheeling in thin air, and all the while Shin was cheering and whooping in delight as he clung to Gohan's back. Icarus soon joined in, and the display became a spirited dance in the sky.

"I'm getting dizzy!" Shin laughed.

"Me too!" Gohan grinned dazedly.

They levelled out and sank back down below the clouds again with Icarus flapping leisurely at their side.

The ground below had transformed from barren desert mountains to lush green forest that covered the Earth like a thick green carpet and spread as far as the eye could see.

"Whoa!" Shin exclaimed as he peered down. "Is that a forest? I've never left the mountains before so this is the first time I've ever seen so many trees!"

"Never left the mountains? Where did you live?" Gohan questioned.

"I was staying with Dr. Gero in his underground laboratory."

Gohan felt Shin tremble at the mention of the laboratory so he decided to change topic.

"Well we're almost at my house. It's out in the middle of nowhere so there's hardly anyone to speak to apart from my Mother, Icarus, and the other animals, but that means that it's peaceful. My Father and I used to go fishing in a nearby lake or collect fruit from the forest. And when my Mother was angry at my Father, I helped him pick wild flowers from the meadows to give to her as an apology."

"That sounds great. Your Father sounds nice, will I meet him?"

Gohan felt as if his stomach had just dropped away to the Earth far below.

"He's not home at the moment, he's somewhere in space. Hopefully he'll come home soon,"

"Oh. Well at least you have a Mother and Father, you're lucky. I guess Dr. Gero could be called my Father, but I hate him." Shin said miserably, but then he brightened up in an instant as if someone had just flipped a switch. "Do you think that your Mother will like me? Is she nice?"

Gohan quickly adjusted to Shin's cheerful mood change. "I'm sure she'll like you, she's very nice. Just remember to be polite and you'll get along just fine."

"That's good," Shin sighed in relief.

Gohan spotted a coloured speck in a clearing in the distance that he recognised as his house.

"Hey Icarus!" He called out.

Icarus glided closer, flapping energetically to keep up. "You'd better go home before Mom sees you, unless you want to be screamed at and chased with a broom again. I'm going to be busy tomorrow so how about you come around the day after?"

Icarus bobbed his head and his eyes shone with eagerness. He did a few speedy loop-the-loops around them and then waved with a clawed hand before flying away over the trees in the other direction.

"Bye Icarus!" Both boys chorused, and Shin added, "It was great to meet you!"

In no time at all Gohan began descending towards the picturesque house. He touched down lightly on the grass and Shin jumped off his back, wobbling slightly before the feeling came back to his legs.

Gohan glanced at the darkening sky above where the stars were appearing, and then down at his watch. It was now 9.00pm. A whole hour past his bedtime.

_Boy am I going to be in trouble. _He thought unhappily. _She'll make me study even more from now on and ban me from going outside as punishment._

He walked up to the front door and bravely knocked. Shin stood behind him looking nervous and clutching the back of Gohan's t-shirt tightly in his fists.

The pounding of hasty footfalls came from inside and the door was flung wide open, splashing yellow light onto the dark lawn.

Chi-Chi Son stood framed in the doorway with her hands clasped together as if she was silently praying, and her face held an expression of pure worry. Her usually neat black hair had a few strands out of place and her onyx eyes looked tearful.

But the moment that her gaze landed on Gohan her entire demeanour changed.

Her hands moved to her hips and her face reshaped into an angry frown with narrowed sharp eyes. She tapped her foot expectantly as a clear sign that she was annoyed and wanted answers. She had managed to go from 'helpless distraught housewife' to 'imposing ticked off warrior' in mere seconds.

Gohan gulped in fear.

"Where have you been for the past three hours young man?"

"Erm, I was at the Desert Mountains…" Gohan squeaked out.

"And what may I ask were you doing there?" Her eyes flashed dangerously.

"I was exploring and I found-"

She cut him off, her tone raising a pitch in anger. "Exploring? Do you think exploring is more important than education?"

"No, but-"

"Don't 'but' me! Get inside and go to bed, its way past your bedtime mister! You are now banned from going outside for a week because you left without permission and you worried me sick when you stayed out late! Perhaps this will teach you a lesson, and now you can also fit in a few more hours of studying."

Gohan mentally groaned in misery and then audibly growled in annoyance because his mother kept cutting off his sentences.

"Mom! Look!" Gohan shouted in exasperation and sidestepped to reveal a very scared looking Shin.

Chi-Chi froze in surprise and she blinked down at the chestnut-haired boy.

"Mom, this is Shin. He's my new friend. He was staying in a cave in the mountains by himself so I brought him home to stay here for a while. Is that OK with you?"

Chi-Chi stared for a few seconds but then the 'gentle mother' side of her personality clicked into place and she swooped down on Shin.

"Of course you can stay! Oh you poor boy… Come in, come in. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Anything you would like?"

"Hello Mrs…" Shin frowned as he realised that he didn't know the family's surname.

"Just call me Chi-Chi dear," she smiled as she bustled him inside, almost closing he door in Gohan's face.

"OK…Hello Chi-Chi, thank you for letting me stay." Shin sounded a lot more confident now that she was being kind and not shouting anymore. "Um, I don't mean to sound rude, but can I have something to eat please? I'm really hungry."

"Of course. Just take a seat at the kitchen table and I'll throw some stuff together over the stove for you."

Shin smiled thankfully and hopped onto a wooden chair in the centre of the kitchen.

Gohan jumped onto the chair next to him and from there random conversation started about (of all things) the weather.

Chi-Chi joined in as well as she stood at the stove with bubbling pots and pans. The delicious smell of food filled the cosy house.

Later as bowls of different foods were placed on the table, Shin's eyes enlarged at the sight of the portions and he stared in awe.

"Wow, I've never seen so much food!" He exclaimed.

"Well you can help yourself to as much as you like Shin, it's all yours. Gohan and I ate earlier." Chi-Chi chuckled as she took a seat at the table as well.

Shin looked as if he were in heaven. He eyed a bowl close by and then dived forwards eagerly.

Gohan's jaw unintentionally dropped as he watched the thin boy pile his plate high and then demolish it within record time and then go back for seconds, then thirds, fourths, and finally fifths.

Gohan had never seen a human eat that much food so fast before. Only Saiyans could proudly say that they had managed it.

Shin sat back in his seat with his plate now empty, as well as the rest of the table.

"Oh wow, thanks Chi-Chi that was the best food I've ever had!" He grinned contently.

"Thank you for the compliment," Chi-Chi replied as she stared at the boy in a stunned daze, obviously shocked by his appetite as well.

Shin gave a tired yawn which he tried to hide but Chi-Chi saw it.

"I think someone's tired," She hinted.

"M' not, I could stay up'll night," Shin said blearily as he rubbed at his eyes. Chi-Chi pulled a face that told Gohan that she was inwardly melting due to the boy's cute antics.

"Oh OK then, I'll clean up this mess and then I'll dig out one of my husbands old casual t-shirts for you to sleep in tonight since all of Gohan's spare pyjamas are hanging to dry on the line outside."

Chi-Chi gathered up piles of empty plates and Gohan automatically helped her carry them over to the sink.

"There's too much to wash this late at night," she said as she scrutinized the tower of plates in front of her. "I'll do it tomorrow morning."

They turned back to the table in time to see Shin's eyes close. At the same time he wavered in his seat and then slumped forwards with his head dropping. His forehead met the wooden table with a loud 'clunk' and he shot back upright wide awake, wincing as he rubbed at the bump now forming.

"Owww…" He whispered quietly to himself, not noticing that he had an audience.

Gohan held back a laugh to save his friend's dignity, and Chi-Chi coughed to cover her humour.

"Tired yet?" She asked airily to him.

"Nope, not at all," Shin replied. He tried to sound convincing but failed badly. There was something else concealed in his voice though. It sounded like he was nervous.

_He sure is stubborn._ Gohan thought. _But_ _he seems almost afraid to go to sleep._

"Gohan could you please come and help me search through your father's clothes draws for Shin's nightshirt?"

Gohan sent a questioning glance sideways at her. _Why does she want my help for that? She knows exactly where Dad's shirts are… _He followed her anyway and they left Shin dozing at the table.

As soon as they entered the bedroom Chi-Chi closed the door behind her and turned to her son.

"Gohan, you mentioned that you found Shin in cave in the desert mountains. What was he doing there all alone? I didn't want to ask him because I didn't know what his reaction would be. He seems nervous around people, so asking him personal questions would be the wrong thing to do. But I need to know about him."

_Now I know that I got my common sense from my Mother._

Gohan then sprang into his tale and gave every scrap of information about Shin that he had picked up. Surprisingly the retelling of the story only took five minutes. By the end Chi-Chi looked distraught.

"Oh the poor boy…he can stay here as long as he wants. I'll look after him and make him feel like part of the family. First though, perhaps you can take Shin to meet Bulma so she can do a medical check on him and research if he has any other family."

"Thanks Mom. We'll go see Bulma tomorrow"

"Yes, that would be for the best. I'll telephone Bulma in a minute… Oh goodness, it's 10 o'clock!" She exclaimed in surprise as she glanced at a clock on the bedside cabinet. "Bulma will still be awake thankfully, but you two should be in bed." His mother quickly pulled out a large plain white t-shirt out of his father's draw and handed it to him.

"Shin can wear this tonight. Show him the bathroom so he can wash up and change out of his clothes privately if he wants to, then I want you two in bed pronto."

Chi-Chi nudged him in the direction of the door. "I've got to call Bulma now, so go."

"OK, thanks for doing this for Shin, Mom."

"It's not a problem dear,"

Gohan walked out of the bedroom with the t-shirt in hand and re-entered the kitchen to find Shin fast asleep with his head resting on his arms as he leaned on the table.

Gohan smiled and stepped closer. "Shin…" He called out softly. "Hey Shin, wake up."

Shin didn't stir so Gohan moved even closer and poked hm in the arm.

The chestnut-haired boy shot upright with large panicked eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep!" He cried out fearfully, still not awake enough to take in his surroundings. "Please don't punish me!"

Gohan quickly tried to calm him down. "Shin, its all right it's just me, Gohan, remember? I'm not going to hurt you."

Cobalt eyes focused on him. "Gohan?"

"Yeah, it's only me; I came to tell you its time to get into bed. I brought you something you can sleep in."

"Oh." Shin replied as he relaxed slightly, but still looked uncomfortable with Gohan's gaze on him.

"I'll show you to the bathroom," Gohan said and grabbed hold of one of Shin's hands, pulling him off his chair, out of the kitchen, and down the hall.

Gohan stopped just outside the bathroom. "Here we are. My room is the door across the hall." He handed Shin the oversized t-shirt.

"Thanks," Shin mumbled as he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door gently.

Gohan gave a quiet sigh and turned towards his bedroom to prepare for bed with heavy thoughts weighing down his heart.

**000000**

Shin inwardly sighed in relief as Gohan directed him to the bathroom where he could change in privacy. He had dreaded changing in front of Gohan. He wasn't body shy- Dr. Gero had stripped him of that- but he did have a personal reason, and he wasn't about to flaunt his secret anytime soon. He liked Gohan and his Mother so he didn't want to be shunned by them if they found out what a freak he was.

Shin turned to lock the bathroom door behind him, just in case someone walked in on him as he was undressing. He sat on the toilet seat lid and unlaced his white sneakers before stepping out of them and putting them aside. Then he stripped off his t-shirt and shorts and folded them neatly. The clothes on his back were the only belongings that he had ever owned so he took care of them the best he could. He'd lost many outfits due to Dr. Gero's harsh training and experiments, and only when he was wearing what you could call shredded rags, did Gero give him new clothes.

And even though Shin hated the colour grey he still treasured them.

The chestnut-haired boy looked at the large white t-shirt he'd been given critically. It was so generous of Gohan's Mother to lend him something to sleep in. He had always just slept in his day clothes because Dr. Gero had never given him something different to wear at night.

With excited anticipation, Shin pulled the shirt over his head and fumbled to find the holes for the sleeves. He hugged the fabric close and breathed in the scent with a smile on his face. It smelt nice and made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

The shirt was far too big on him since it fell to his ankles but it was amazingly comfortable.

Moving over to the bathroom sink in a state of bliss he stepped up onto the handy footstool so he could see in the mirror.

He almost recoiled away in shock.

His cheeks were noticeably more hollow than the last time he seen himself in a reflective surface, which was only a few days ago, and his skin was unhealthily pale with dark smudges under his eyes caused by lack of sleep and exhaustion. He felt bone-tired, and he sure looked it too.

Shin frowned sadly at the image he made before twisting the taps on and watching the clear water gush out. It reminded him of the waterfall back at the desert cave. He would have died of dehydration caused by his travel across the scorching desert mountains if he hadn't found the plentiful water source hidden in the depths of that cave.

Not that he would have minded dying, because that would have been the release he was looking for when he ran away from Dr. Gero. If Gohan hadn't have found him then he would have just sat in that cave until he died of hunger, dehydration, or whatever else might befall him.

But now things were looking up and life didn't seem so hopeless anymore. He had his first ever friend, lots of delicious food, a bed, and most importantly, there was no more laboratory, no more training or experiments, and no Dr. Gero.

He rinsed his hands clean and was surprised to see the amount of dirt wash down the plug hole. Placing the plug in the sink, he let the water level rise before turning off the taps. Steam rose off the surface of the hot water and fogged up the mirror.

Shin took a breath before bending further over, scooping up the hot water with his cupped hands and splashing it on his face. He scrubbed at his skin and repeated the process a few times before he felt decently clean. The water in the sink had turned into a murky brown so he pulled the plug and watched it swirl down the drain in satisfaction.

He stepped down from the stool and went to press his face into a nearby fluffy soft towel to dry off. With a smile at how clean and happy he felt, he picked up his pile of clothes and sneakers.

Turning to leave the bathroom he was suddenly hit full force by the exhaustion he had been holding at bay for the past few days. He was worn to the bone and his body couldn't take much more neglect. He was on the brink of collapsing, yet he was still trying his hardest to fight against closing his weary eyes.

Bad memories were lurking in the darkness behind his lids, and he wasn't willing to face them anytime soon. There was also the possibility that all of this kindness that he was experiencing was just some kind of warped dream that would end the moment he next awoke, and he would find himself back in the laboratory with Dr. Gero. Fear had kept him awake this long, but he wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

Gohan had helped him so far, so maybe he could also help banish the memories that haunted his dreams?

Perhaps that was too much to hope for.

**000000**

Gohan had changed into his pyjamas by the time Shin knocked on his bedroom door and then entered, dressed in the baggy white t-shirt that was so big on him it reached down to his ankles and it made him look like he was floundering.

His face had been washed, cleaning away any dirt and tear stains that were once there, and he looked a little fresher skinned, though he was practically moving like he was asleep with half closed eyelids.

Gohan smiled at him and then slipped into bed and under the covers. Shin carefully placed his folded clothes on Gohan's desk chair and his sneakers on the floor next to them, then crawled in after Gohan and yawned sleepily.

The bed was large enough to fit them both so they shared a pile of pillows.

As Gohan expected there was another knock on his door and his mother popped her head in to check on them.

"Ah, I see you boys are ready for sleep. I won't keep you awake any longer, goodnight Gohan, goodnight Shin, see you in the morning. I'll have breakfast ready for you in the morning. Sweet dreams."

Shin shivered.

She turned out the light as she left and closed the door, leaving them in the dark with only pale moonlight streaming through the window.

There was only silence for the next few minutes.

Shin kept tossing and turning as if trying to get comfortable but after a while Gohan could sense that he was fidgeting nervously in a restless state.

"What's wrong Shin?" Gohan asked quietly.

A tense pause.

"I don't want to fall asleep." He replied reluctantly.

"Why not?"

"Nightmares. I'm scared to go to sleep."

Gohan wasn't sure what to say. He had the choice of either saying something comforting or remaining awkwardly silent. Silence won out since he debated it too long.

"Gohan?" Shin asked tentatively after a moment.

"Yes?"

"Will you keep me hidden and safe? Will you protect me from Dr. Gero?"

"Of course Shin, I'd never let him take you back."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Since Gohan was on a roll he carried on. "And I'm here for you if you have a nightmare, as long as you're here for me if I have one," Gohan put a bit of humour in his voice, even though deep down he was serious.

He still had nightmares involving every evil creature he had ever come across. To name a few; the ruthless Saiyans, the savage Saibamen, heartless Freeza, and most recently Garlic Jr.

Shin giggled weakly in reply. "OK," The tired boy then rolled over and promptly fell into a deep sleep, admitting soft snores.

Gohan stayed awake for quite some time afterwards, listening to Shin's steady breathing and thinking about the boy next to him. The end result was a headache.

Resolving that everything would be sorted out tomorrow, Gohan let his heavy eyelids close and let himself start to drift off to sleep.

He was mildly surprised when Shin snuggled up to his side while still sleeping. The other boy threw his arm across Gohan's chest and wrapped their legs together.

Gohan didn't mind because he felt warm and safe. He hadn't been held in his sleep for a long time. He could remember that the last person to do it was his father but he couldn't remember exactly when because it had happened a long time ago.

He must have been about four at the time because he hadn't spent any quality time with his father since then.

Fighting evil beings came first and that was all he had been doing straight for the past few years.

Gohan felt something move under the sheets and then wrap around his waist, but his tired brain didn't register it as odd. The warm furry object was familiar to him so he accepted it without a second's thought. He was so used to having a monkey tail for most of his life and it had been a sort of security blanket at night when he was younger.

Yet something at the back of his mind managed to wriggle to the front.

…_My tail was cut off years ago…_

It took a moment to register that thought.

His eyes shot open in confusion and he was wide awake in a second. _What? Has my tail grown back?_

Very carefully so as not to wake Shin, he lifted up the blankets and tried to see in the dark what was wrapped around his waist.

Letting moonlight spill over him he saw to his amazement that it was indeed a furry brown monkey tail.

_Wow, I didn't feel it grow back!_ He felt a surge of joy at having his adored tail appear once more in his life, but his happiness deflated as he looked out of his bedroom window at the waning moon. _What am I going to do? I like having a tail but I can't keep it because of the moon. Luckily the full moon has only just passed so I have more time to decide what I want to do before the next full lunar cycle… Oh, I'm too tired to be thinking about this now. I'll do it tomorrow…_

Gohan scooted closer to Shin's warmth and let himself sink into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me.

Here's chapter two, a day later than I intended, but that couldn't be helped. Chapter three should hopefully be polished off in time for my next self-set deadline, but no guarantees. - PPF

**000000**

**Chapter 2**

**000000**

Shin awoke to see morning rays of light filtering through a window. It took him a moment to comprehend where he was. He was so used to waking up in the lab that the scenery change threw him off.

Shin was startled when his soft and warm pillow moved. He shot upright and stared down at what he was sleeping on.

It was Gohan.

Shin realised that at some point in the night he must have rolled onto the other boy without realising until now. His head had been resting on Gohan's chest and his all of his appendages were wrapped around him.

Very carefully, Shin uncoiled himself and climbed out of bed to go over to the window. He looked out at the sun's position and predicted that it must have been around 9'oclock in the morning.

_Wow, I slept in…I'm used to being up at 6.00am. Those sleepless nights must have caught up with me._

He blinked in amazement as he realised something important.

…_I slept the whole night through… I didn't have a nightmare! That's the first time ever!_

Shin felt like jumping around the room for joy but he restrained himself for his sleeping friend's sake. Instead he grinned like an idiot.

He quietly padded over to the bedroom door, opened it, and stepped out into the hallway. He could hear noises in the kitchen signifying that Chi-Chi was up and about, which made him relax slightly because he didn't like the feeling that he was sneaking around the house when its occupants were still asleep.

Shin entered the bathroom and stood on a stool in front of the sink so he could see into the large mirror.

A person stared back from the shiny surface that he didn't recognise.

This person looked happy and healthy.

He realised that he looked much better than the other night, and he certainly felt it. The food and good nights sleep had worked wonders on him. He actually looked _alive_ again.

Feeling pleased, he turned on the water taps and put the plug in the sink so he could have a nice soapy wash.

**000000**

Gohan groggily awoke with the feeling as if something was missing. The warm and comfortable weight that was previously wrapped around him had vanished.

Sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes clear, he looked around his room in confusion, wondering what the lost object was and where it had gone.

He remembered as his gaze landed on a pair of white sneakers on the floor by his desk.

_Shin._ _So it wasn't a dream, it really happened…_

"Gohan! Shin! Breakfast will be ready soon! You have fifteen minutes to get washed and dressed before you have to come down!" His mother shouted loudly from what sounded like the kitchen.

_Where is Shin? _Gohan frowned, noticing that his friend was not in the room.

Feeling panicked over the idea that his new friend might have run away again, he jumped out of bed and dashed for the bedroom door so he could search the rest of the house.

But someone beat him to it and the door swung open to smack him in the face.

"Gohan! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were there, I'm sorry…" Shin apologised profusely with a horrified expression on his face as he rushed to Gohan's side to see if he was all right.

"S' OK," Gohan mumbles thickly as he pinched the bridge of his nose to make sure it was straight. "I'm the one who ran into the door. It's my fault, there's no need to apologise,"

"I'm still sorry," Shin said sincerely, the meek side of him presenting itself again. It looked like he expected to be punished.

"It's really all right," Gohan insisted and Shin relaxed.

As soon as his eyes stopped watering, Gohan took a closer look at Shin and noted the differences from yesterday.

The chestnut-haired boy seemed much healthier. The colour had come back to his cheeks and he gave off the vibe of renewed energy, but he still had a slightly sickly appearance that would take more time to erase.

"Um, where are my clothes?" Shin asked as he looked around the room for his missing pile of grey clothing that he had folded neatly and placed on Gohan's desk chair.

Gohan glanced around as well. "Hm, my Mom must have been in here and picked them up for cleaning. Oh well, you can wear some of my clothes. We look about the same height, but you're a bit thinner so I'll have to rummage around for something that might fit you."

Gohan delved deep into the back of his draws and pulled out a white t-shirt, which he knew was tight across his own lean muscles but would fit Shin's thin frame perfectly, and he also found a pair of orange shorts.

"Will these do?" He asked as he showed Shin the clothes.

"Anything will do so long as I don't have to parade around in this for the rest of the day," Shin said indicating with a nervous grin at the huge adult sized t-shirt he was wearing.

"Well someone's been hiding his sense of humour," Gohan teased with a grin of his own. He handed the outfit over to Shin who accepted it eagerly.

Gohan expected the chestnut-haired boy to change into the clothes on the spot, but the boy gave Gohan a nervous glance and quickly disappeared out of the door to run into the bathroom where he closed the door with a snap behind him.

_Perhaps he's shy. _Gohan figured.

He was actually glad that Shin had left the room because it gave him the privacy to change without Shin seeing his tail and asking unwanted questions.

Gohan pulled out a pair of light blue shorts and a dark blue t-shirt since it was a hot day, and he quickly pulled off his pyjama top to change.

With his clean top on, next came the secretive part. He pulled back the waistband of his pyjama bottoms and twisted his head to peer down at his underwear clad bottom.

He blinked in surprise.

What he expected to see was his furry tail. What he didn't expect to see was nothing at all.

His tail was not there.

Feeling dizzy with confusion he quickly took off his pyjama bottoms and shook them out, wondering if his tail had fallen off in the night.

Carelessly tossing his empty pyjama bottoms to the floor he ran over to his bed and yanked the sheets off in search of his missing tail.

He scrambled around above and below the bed but found nothing.

_What's going on? I know I didn't imagine what I saw last night. I had a brown furry tail again. I know I did! … I think I'm going crazy…_

"Gohan, what are you doing?" An unsure voice asked slowly from the doorway.

Gohan was currently half under the bed with his bare legs sticking out in the open. He was suddenly aware of how stupid he must look.

In his haste to get out from under the bed he cracked his skull off the hard wood and ended up making a bigger idiot out of himself. He sat up rubbing his head.

Shin stood still in the doorway wearing his new clothes and holding the nightshirt in his arms. He was staring at Gohan peculiarly, for obvious reasons.

"Um…I'm just searching for…something." Gohan explained pathetically.

"Need any help?"

"No, no, no. I'm fine…" His eyes darted around the room in search of an object, _any_ object. "Um…Oh look, there they are!" He said with a fake laugh as he picked up his light blue shorts off the floor next to him. "That was stupid of me. They were right in front of me the whole time!"

Shin stared at him strangely for a few more seconds but then let the topic slide and he shrugged his shoulders. "Um, Gohan? Can I borrow a pair of socks if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh no, it's not a problem. Choose any pair out of the top draw," Gohan said as he got to his feet.

"Thanks," Shin breathed in relief. Gohan could see that it would take a lot of effort to get Shin to trust him enough to not act skittish anymore.

"See you in a minute," Gohan said as he headed out of the door to the bathroom where he was planning on having a cold wash to clear his head.

**000000**

After a great breakfast, Gohan dragged Shin back to his room to put their shoes on in preparation of going to Capsule Corporation to see Bulma.

Gohan had been amazed once again by the quantity of food Shin could consume. It was almost as much as him, and that was saying something.

All throughout breakfast, Shin talked more freely about anything that came to mind and Gohan noticed that he was not so nearly as timid and quiet as he was when found yesterday. Shin was finally coming out of his shell and was quickly learning that he could trust them.

Gohan hoped that Shin could learn to trust Bulma just as much or else there were going to be problems later.

"Where are we going?" Shin asked from where he sat on Gohan's desk chair as he laced up his white sneakers.

"I'm taking you to see my Aunt Bulma. She's not really my Aunt but she's a close friend of my Mom and Daddy, and she's really nice. She gives me sweets when my Mom isn't looking."

"Do I have to meet her?" Shin asked, his face betraying his nervousness.

"You'll like her, trust me." Gohan grinned at his friend.

Shin nodded in agreement, albeit a little reluctantly.

"We have to travel a long way so that's why we're leaving now. Come on, I'll show you how we're going to travel."

"Flying?" Shin asked hopefully with his eyes sparkling.

"Yup, but not the way that we did yesterday. You're still going to love it though."

Gohan grabbed Shin's hand and they ran out of the bedroom, past Chi-Chi who was washing dishes at the kitchen sink, and out of the house onto the lawn.

Gohan took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Flying Nimbus!"

He waited expectantly as Shin gave him a confused sideways glance.

A familiar golden cloud appeared in the sky and flew down to the ground speedily to stop just in front of Gohan, floating on the spot just above the ground.

Shin's mouth formed a 'o' shape as he stared at the cloud.

"Hop on Shin."

Shin snapped his mouth shut and turned to stare ludicrously at Gohan. "What? It's a cloud! I'll fall right through!"

"No you won't, go on."

Shin edged closer to the cloud and touched it cautiously as if expecting his hand to go through, but his face lit up when it didn't.

The boy smiled as he stroked the cloud. "Wow, its soft and warm…"

He jumped back slightly as Nimbus gave off a sound like a contented purr.

"That is no normal cloud." Shin stated.

"Nope, it's one of a kind. It used to belong to my Father, but he gave it to me. Its name is Flying Nimbus, but I just shorten it to Nimbus. I think it likes you."

Shin smiled as he stuck his hand out again to stroke the cloud and he didn't move when the cloud started to purr again. "Well I like it as well."

"See if it'll let you get on." Gohan prompted.

Shin bit his tongue in concentration as he jumped up to sit on the soft cloud.

He didn't fall through. He sat on top of it comfortably.

Gohan let go of a breath that he didn't know that he had been holding. If Nimbus had let Shin ride on it, then that meant that he was pure of heart. Not that Gohan had doubted it.

"Nimbus, how about you take Shin for a quick test fly?"

Nimbus puffed up in agreement and let out a squeak.

"Hey, wait!" Shin said in a state of panic. "What do I hold on t-oooOO!" He yelled as Nimbus shot up into the sky and did a few speedy circles around the house.

Nimbus then shot back down to the ground and screeched to a halt. Shin tumbled off with a dazed expression.

"Fun?" Gohan asked with a smile as he leaned over the boy in the grass.

Shin's eyes focused on Gohan and then his face split into a grin. "Oh yes! Can I do it again?"

"Let me just tell Mom that we're leaving and then we can look forward to the ride to Bulma's house."

"Right," Shin got to his feet.

"Mom!" Gohan called out towards the house. "We're about to leave!"

Chi-Chi came out of the house to join them on the lawn, drying her soapy wet hands on her apron.

"I'll see you two later then. Take care on the way there, don't speak to strangers and don't get into any trouble. Could you also say hello to Bulma for me? I haven't seen her in a while, but I've got to go grocery shopping today or else I would have come with you."

"Sure Mom,"

Chi-Chi then bent down to kiss Gohan and Shin on the cheek.

Shin touched his cheek in stunned amazement as if he had never experienced a loving gesture like that before now.

Gohan steered the frozen boy over to Nimbus and pushed him on, and then jumped on after him.

"Bye boys!" Chi-Chi waved to them as Nimbus zoomed off into the sky.

Gohan and Shin waved back until she disappeared from sight.

**000000**

After a thrilling hour of death-defying stunts on Nimbus, the two windswept boys hopped off the cloud in front of Capsule Corporation.

Nimbus flew away into the clouds where it wouldn't return until it was called.

Gohan pulled a very nervous Shin up to the front door of the looming mansion sized building.

The black-haired boy stood on tiptoe to press the buzzer on the front door's code pad. Shin once again hid behind Gohan as Gohan stood waiting for Bulma to open the door.

When the door finally opened it was not Bulma standing there. It was Vegeta.

Gohan gulped nervously. He still had a deep-rooted fear of the Saiyan warrior. He would never forget that Vegeta had an evil streak and that he was a cold-blooded killer. And even though the mighty Saiyan Prince had been reduced to wearing a hot pink shirt and bright yellow pants, he was still intimidating. Gohan hadn't seen him for quite a while actually, and the full-blooded Saiyan had missed the entire Garlic. Jr fiasco completely. Straight after the return from the planet Namek, he had blasted off into space again to do who knows what, and Gohan presumed that he had been training because he was even more powerful than ever now that he had returned.

But he wouldn't tell Shin about Vegeta's history, because the boy was already nervous enough as it was.

"Hello, I'm here to see Bulma. Is she around?"

"How would I know brat? I don't follow her every move." Vegeta sneered down at Gohan, then noticed Shin hiding behind him. "Who is the other brat you're hiding?"

"This is Shin," Gohan said shortly, keeping himself firmly positioned in front of his friend because he didn't like the malicious glint in Vegeta's eyes.

Shin peeked out at Vegeta but then quickly ducked out of sight again.

"Gohan, is that you?" Bulma's voice called from within the house.

She appeared behind Vegeta and looked over his shoulder down at Gohan. She gave a warm smile but then noticed that Vegeta was blocking the doorway and frowned. "Move." She ordered at the scowling man fearlessly. She even poked him in the ribs for good measure.

"Why should I listen to you woman?" Vegeta snarled at her.

"Because I am letting you stay under my roof, I'm letting you eatmy food, and I'm letting you use _my_ gravity chamber. So kindly move now, or all of your rights will be revoked and you can find another place to live."

Vegeta grumbled to himself as he stomped out of the house and in the direction of the gravity chamber to let off some steam.

Bulma turned back to Gohan smiling. "Ignore him. He's just a grumpy, stubborn man that's all talk and no action."

Gohan looked up at Bulma in awe. If she could boss Vegeta around then she had his respect.

"Hi Bulma. I've brought my new friend Shin to visit you." Gohan pulled Shin out from behind him and presented the boy to the blue-haired woman.

Bulma's warm smile increased tenfold. "Oh hello there. It's nice to meet you. Chi-Chi called me last night and said that you would be coming around so I've been expecting you."

"H- Hi," Shin said back with a small uncertain smile.

"Come inside, there's no point chatting out here," She waved them into the house and Gohan had to practically drag Shin after him.

Bulma led them into the living room and Gohan and Shin perched themselves on the large couch in the middle of the room. Bulma sat on an armchair opposite them.

"My Mom says hi," Gohan smiled at her.

"That's nice of her. I haven't had a face to face conversation with her for some time now. Could you please say hello to her back?"

Gohan nodded and then her attention turned to Shin. "I've heard a lot of things about you Shin," Bulma grinned but hastily amended herself as she saw Shin's stricken expression. "Good things, don't worry. Would you like a drink of anything boys? And I'm sure I've got a few sweets hidden away somewhere round here."

"Can I have some water please, Bulma?" Gohan asked politely. He then nudged Shin in the side to get an answer out of him.

"Can I have some water too please?" Shin asked in a small voice.

"Of course you can. You sure are a shy one aren't you?" Bulma stood up and made a move to ruffle Shin's hair, but Shin shrank back fearfully and threw his arms over his head with a shout of, "No! Don't hurt me!"

At the same time, Bulma's hand was forcefully held back from coming any closer. But Shin didn't use his arms to grip her wrist. Oooh no.

He used his tail.

His brown, furry tail, which was uncurled from around his waist, previously hidden under the baggy shorts and shirt, now out in the open for all to see.

Gohan and Bulma froze, staring with wide eyes at the abnormal appendage.

_It wasn't my tail that I saw last night…it was Shin's!_ Gohan thought dazedly.

"Oh. My. God." Bulma said slowly as she looked down at the tail wrapped tightly around her wrist.

Shin looked up at them to gauge their reactions and he obviously didn't like what he saw because he sharply withdrew his tail, burst into tears and tried to bury himself into the back of the couch, hiding his face under one of the squishy pillows.

"Oh Sweetie," Bulma cooed as she finally fell out of her shock. "It's OK, there's nothing to cry about…"

"I told you I was a freak!" Shin wailed loudly, though it was muffled by pillow.

"No! No, you're not!" Gohan quickly protested and moved closer to Shin's side to give comfort.

"But you saw my tail and now you think I'm abnormal!"

"No, we were just…surprised." Bulma said honestly as she carefully placed herself on the couch next to Shin.

Shin's head emerged from beneath the pillow and he stared up at Bulma with pitiful watery eyes. "So you're not scared of me?"

"No of course not!" Bulma smiled.

Shin wiped his tears away looking relieved. He then pulled his furry tail into his lap and stroked it tenderly. "I didn't want anyone to know about what I am." He said quietly.

"And just what are you?" Bulma prompted.

"A monster…" Shin whispered fearfully.

"No you are not. You're just Shin to me. Why do you think that?" Gohan asked in surprise. "You're not a freak and you're not a monster."

"I don't belong. I'm not all human."

"Let me guess, you're part Saiyan?" Bulma said helpfully.

Shin's mouth fell open. "Y-Yes…How did you know?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I think the tail gave you away."

"But how do you know about Saiyans?" Shin asked in a wavering voice.

"Let's just say that I've had first hand experience with them," Bulma smiled at Gohan widely. "Hey Shin, would you mind if I do a few blood tests on you in the medical lab? I want to check your heritage."

Gohan felt Shin stiffen at the words 'blood tests', but when the word 'lab' came up he practically had a seizure.

"No! No labs! Please!" The boy quivered.

"It's just a blood test, I'm not going to hurt you. There will only be a slight prick from the needle-"

As if she had flipped a switch, Shin lost all self-control and leapt off his seat whimpering in pure terror as he fled as far away from her as possible to the other side of the room where he huddled into a corner, trembling from head to toe.

"Shin, it's OK…" Gohan's heart ached to his friend so afraid so he tried to go over to him.

"Leave me alone!" Shin screamed at the top of his lungs in a state of panic.

Gohan had never tried to sense Shin's ki before, but now it was pretty hard to ignore as it was rising rapidly.

His breath caught in his throat as he felt something he hadn't felt for a long time.

His father's ki.

But the odd thing was that it was originating from Shin.

Vegeta burst through the front door with a livid expression on his face.

His rage turned to shock as he saw that the ki source was coming from Shin, but he hid it well. "What is going on here?" He shouted. "I thought that I sensed Kakkarot and all I find is the weakling brat!"

He snapped his mouth shut as he saw the furry brown tail clutched closely to Shin's chest. "He's a Saiyan!" Vegeta burst out ludicrously. "Why did no one inform me of this!"

"Calm down Vegeta! We only just found out and you're scaring him even more by shouting your head off!" Bulma fumed at him.

"V- Vegeta?" Shin repeated. His face paled and his eyes increased in size. "As in, Prince Vegeta of the Saiyans?"

"The one and only." Vegeta said proudly as he stood regally.

"Dr. Gero said that you were dangerous and that you might try and kill me," Shin squeaked fearfully as tears poured down his face.

Vegeta stalked over to stand towering over him. "And why would I try and kill one of the last surviving Saiyans left?" He asked impatiently.

"Because of my mission," Shin said as he tried to merge with the wall.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "What mission?"

Shin didn't say anything.

With a growl, Vegeta reached down and grabbed Shin by the front of his t-shirt and lifted him clean off the ground so they were face to face.

"I repeat. What mission?"

"T- To kill another Saiyan, a half Saiyan called Gohan Son."

The room fell into a stoney silence and Gohan felt as if his stomach had turned to lead.

"Why haven't you killed him then? He's standing right there." Vegeta used his free hand to point at Gohan.

Shin's tears stopped out of pure shock. His face paled so much that he went chalk white and he stared at Gohan in horrified disbelief.

"Y- You're Gohan _Son_? You're father is…Goku Son?"

Gohan nodded numbly.

"I can't believe it…" Shin trailed off, shamefully averting his eyes from Gohan's.

"You'd better believe it brat," Vegeta snarled. "Now who sent you?"

"I- I- but- I don't want to kill Gohan…he's my friend…" Shin talked feverishly to himself.

Vegeta shook him forcefully to gain his attention. "Who sent you!"

"N- No one sent me, I ran away!" The frightened boy cried out.

"Vegeta! Let him go!" Bulma shouted angrily.

Vegeta ignored her, snatched up Shin's tail and squeezed hard.

Shin's face tightened in immense pain, but then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went as limp as a rag doll.

"Vegeta!" Bulma screamed at the man in outrage, and Gohan could only stare in disbelief.

"Here," The Saiyan Prince let Shin crumple to the floor. "Do what you want with him." He then walked out of the room taking long quick, angry strides.

"Shin!" Gohan quickly ran over to the boy to make sure he was all right. He was only unconscious, but even while he was sleeping he looked emotionally troubled and ill.

Bulma bent down at Gohan's side, scooped up Shin into her arms protectively, and stood again.

"I'm taking him down to the medical lab," She said sadly down to Gohan. "You can follow if you want to stay with him. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to carry out a few health checks on him. He hardly weighs a thing and he feels too thin. Perhaps I can also do the blood test while he's not aware of it. Judging by his earlier reaction I would say that he doesn't like labs or needles, so it would be kinder to him if he's not awake to see his surroundings."

Gohan nodded, feeling as if his throat had constricted tightly.

"I can hardly believe that this boy would hurt a fly, never mind you," Bulma spoke to Gohan quietly and she bit her lip in confused distress.

"H- He said that he didn't want to kill anyone…" Gohan trailed off as he looked at his new friend's face… or was it new enemy? He wasn't sure about anything anymore.

Bulma turned her pity filled eyes back to Shin and then began walking in the direction of the medical lab.

Gohan followed closely behind her.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me.

See? I said no guarantees that this would be on time. I'm struggling with the next few chapters because they're in-between bits that I haven't wrote out yet because I skipped ahead to write out more interesting parts. But as soon as the uninspiring, awkward chapters pass, things will be back in full swing.

For the sake of posting something to keep readers from getting riled up, I'm going to hand out this abysmally short chapter, but it does feed you some vital information for you to chew over. So I hope you enjoy it, even though I'm not too happy with my writing right now.

Criticisms help, so go ahead. (don't be evil though.)

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Chapter 3

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Bulma inserted a small sample of Shin's blood on a glass slide into her computer's analysis system and sat back in her chair as she waited for the computer to process it.

Glancing behind her she saw Gohan sitting in a chair next to Shin, who was laid out on one of the medical beds, still unconscious.

She felt sorry for both boys.

Shin was obviously lost in life. He was quiet, timid, and from the health checks she had done on him, he was undernourished, dehydrated, and it looked like he had been mistreated in the past. He had a few faint scars across his body, some were neat and clean cut as if done with a sharp edged object, while others were jagged as if he was beaten and burnt. His mental state was still questionable.

Gohan was in emotional shock, and Bulma sure didn't blame him. His new friend had turned out to be his possible executioner. She could see the mental battle raging in the black-haired boy's eyes, but he still seemed to be sticking at Shin's side for now.

Bulma herself didn't know whether to see Shin as a deadly enemy or the sweet innocent boy that he looked like.

_Looks can be deceiving_. She reminded herself, but it didn't sway her first impression of the kid. He gave off a good vibe and her heart was telling her that Shin truly was harmless.

The computer bleeped to recapture her attention and statistics scrolled down in a long stream.

_Definitely half Saiyan_. She nodded in satisfaction as she picked out a few key parts in his DNA that were out of this world and that she recognised. _And half Human_. She added.

Her curiosity peaked as she thought that over. _So he's half Saiyan and half Human, hm? That either means that there are more than two Saiyans left in the universe, or Vegeta or Goku had a kid that no one knew about until now. Well Goku isn't the type of person to have an affair… Yet Shin can't be much younger or older than Gohan, and that would mean that he was at least four or five years old when the Saiyans first arrived on Earth… Hmm…_

Bulma leaned forwards to let her fingers dance across the keyboard, bringing up Goku's DNA on the screen. The DNA sample came from a hair belonging to the full-blooded Saiyan because it was impossible to go near the man with a needle to collect blood. He was so scared of needles that he would run at the sight of one.

_It can't be Goku, it's got to be another unknown Saiyan, but I'll check anyway no matter how pointless it is._

Bulma's hands froze over the keys as the computer beeped and two words flashed across the screen causing her heart to stop.

'**_Match Found_**'.

"No…" She breathed out. _That can't be… no, impossible… it's not true! Goku wouldn't cheat on Chi-Chi in a million years! But…Goku's genes match Shin's. Shin is Goku's son…_

"Bulma, are you OK?" Gohan asked in concern from behind her.

Bulma swivelled around in her chair to look at Goku and Chi-Chi's only son.

"You don't look well." Gohan observed.

_Shin and Gohan are brothers… Half brothers… _"I'm fine," Bulma answered out of reflex, when she knew that she was far from fine.

Gohan gave her a light frown. "If you say so. But perhaps you should take a break and have something to drink."

_Alcohol sounds good about now, but I've got to figure this mess out first. _"Thanks for the thought Gohan, but I want to finish all of my research before Shin wakes up."

The boy nodded in understanding and then his attention went back to his sleeping friend. Bulma turned to the computer again.

She processed both pieces of DNA and came up with the same results. _Oh God, what have I uncovered? _She asked herself in dread. _Who's the Mother? _

With a bit of splicing she managed to separate the fraction of Goku's genes from the rest in Shin's DNA. What she was left with baffled her completely.

All of the genes were different. They were from several or more different people.

Noticing another Saiyan gene that didn't belong to Goku, she pulled up all of the Saiyan DNA pieces that she had archived. There weren't many. She only had samples from Vegeta, Nappa, Radditz and Goku.

Cross-sampling the DNA's with Shin's, the words '**_Match Found_**' flashed again.

Bulma frowned at the screen. Vegeta's DNA matched.

_How is that even possible! _She questioned ludicrously. _There are enough of Vegeta's genes in Shin to mean that Vegeta is Shin's father. But Goku is also Shin's father. Yet there are more of Goku's genes present than any of the others, so that makes Goku the dominant father. But all of these other genes are from different possible parents... I just don't understand!_

Resisting the urge to tear her hair out, she turned to both boys. "Gohan, could you please explain everything that you know about Shin? Your Mother was a very vague over the telephone. I hardly know a thing, and it's important that I know everything."

Gohan looked down a Shin and squirmed uncomfortably. Then he launched into his tale, making sure he added anything that might be important information.

Bulma listened attentively and when the name 'Dr. Gero' and the word 'laboratory' were in the same sentence she conjured up some theories.

Shin's DNA could have been tampered with to add other peoples' genes, or maybe there was the farfetched idea that he could have been born to be like that. From the sound of it, the boy had been made into what he was to kill Gohan Son. Shin was the perfect weapon. He could be modelled into whatever, whomever pleased. But it looked like Shin had run away before that could happen properly.

For some odd reason the name Dr. Gero tickled at the back of Bulma's memory, but she couldn't place her finger on it so she was forced to dismiss it, much to her annoyance. Small things like that drove her crazy.

Turning back to the computer screen she faced a current dilemma. _Who else's DNA does Shin own?_

With a burst of inspiration that came out of nowhere she decided to cross-reference every piece of DNA that she had ever collected from everyone she knew. It was a very long shot but she felt compelled to try anyway.

There were hundreds of DNA samples to process so she spun in bored circles on her swivel chair as she waited for the computer to finish.

With a beep '**_Match Found_**_'_ flashed and a short list of names appeared on the screen.

The name at the top of the list made her stare in dumb surprise.

Chi-Chi.

_If Chi-Chi's genes are present as well as Goku's, that would make Shin their full son. Gohan and Shin are real brothers… Amazing! There's now a new member to the Son family. I wonder what Chi-Chi and Gohan's reactions will be to that! And Goku when he eventually gets back to Earth. Oh, I'd love to see his face!_

_Well who else is on the list…_

Next in line was Yamcha.

_I don't believe it! Yamcha now has a son! This might complicate our relationship a bit._

Frowning in thought she glanced at the next name.

_Krillen? Well I didn't see that coming. I think he would make a good Dad from what I've seen him act like with Gohan._

After Krillen's name came Tien's.

_It looks like Shin hasn't inherited Shin's third eye. Hm, I'm starting to see a pattern here though. So far some of the most powerful fighters in the universe are encoded into Shin's DNA. _

And next was Chaozu.

_That's weird; I really can't see that little guy as a father. Chaozu is so childlike himself it's laughable to imagine him with a child of his own. But it's all true_.

In proud print, Piccolo's name was displayed on the list, nearly causing Bulma to blanch.

_Piccolo! Piccolo's a father too? Shin is part Namek? No way! This is unbelievable! Nameks are asexual so that backs up my theory that Shin was genetically engineered. Poor boy, he must have been created in a lab. But the technology used to create him must have been amazing, all of this is a scientific breakthrough. _

Bulma came to the last name on the list.

The name stood out from the rest vividly in her eyes. Her breath hitched in her chest and it suddenly felt like the world was falling away. She paled so much that she turned white, and her hands shook.

Bulma rose to her feet, not entirely sure why she was doing it. She turned to look at the chestnut-haired boy on the bed with wide eyes.

"Bulma?" Gohan asked in a scared voice as he stared at her in worry.

"Gohan, can you get Vegeta for me?" She asked in a small trembling voice as the world around her started to dim.

The next thing she knew the room tilted dangerously and she found herself being caught in Gohan's arms.

The poor boy looked terrified as he peered down into her face.

Everything suddenly went black and her last thought was the same one that she had been repeating over and over again ever since she had read her own name at the bottom of the list.

_I'm a mother…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me.

-Slaps face- Bad girl! Bad, bad, bad girl! Go ahead and yell at me. I have no worthy excuse for not updating in however many months it's been. I just couldn't be bothered to sit down and write this chapter. And when I'd managed to force myself to do it, I couldn't be bothered to type it up. Bah.

But I swear I'm not dead, and I vow never to abandon this fic. I've put so much hard work and effort into this thing, and it would be too much time and inspiration wasted for nothing if I let everything drop in the end.

And if I don't finish this, how will I be able to do the sequel?!

Oh before I forget, thanks to everyone that reviewed, or placed my fic in their favourites list and/or put my fic on story alert. You all made me so happy!Special thanks to MadamShinigami since your review gave me the kick in the pants I needed to post this.

And does anyone out there want to be my beta reader? I think it would be handy to have one. - PPF

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**Chapter 4**

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Gohan looked fearfully down at Bulma's unconscious form in his arms.

She had fainted. For what reason he didn't know, but it was a good job that he was speedy enough to catch her when she dropped.

"Bulma? Wake up Bulma, what's wrong? Bulma? Bulma!" Gohan didn't have any idea what to do with her.

_What did she ask me to do? Oh yeah, get Vegeta! Any kind of help will do right now._

Not moving from the spot on the floor where he was kneeling and holding Bulma, Gohan raised his ki as high as he could push it, hoping against hope that Vegeta would notice and come to investigate.

Relief surged through him as Vegeta appeared at the medical lab doors.

"What's going on brat?" The man snapped. His eyes landed on Bulma's still form. "What happened to her?"

"I'm not sure why, but she just fainted."

Vegeta strode into the room, bent down, and easily scooped Bulma out of Gohan's arms into his own. He then laid her down on a nearby medical bed, close to Shin's.

"What was the woman doing before she lost consciousness?" Vegeta asked sharply.

"Um, she was on her computer testing Shin's blood," Gohan replied as he stood up and wandered over to the computer where Bulma was working.

He glanced at the screen and saw a list of very familiar names, but that was it. It didn't explain anything. "I don't understand what she was doing, this doesn't make any sense…" He trailed off in confusion.

There was a soft groan behind him and he spun to see Shin stirring.

He felt conflicting emotions battle inside of him. One half of him was happy, the other scared.

Was his friendship with Shin false? Shin had even said to him when they met, that his belief was that he had to pretend to like someone to become their friend. Was that some kind of twisted warning?

His head was ordering him to treat Shin as a potential threat, yet his heart quarrelled fiercely against it. His heart was telling him that Shin was trustworthy and a good person. Gohan had to agree that Shin hadn't given any reason for him to doubt that. It was too hard to fake.

Coming to a quick decision as he saw Shin's eyes drift open, he let his instincts guide him. They had rarely been wrong in the past. His friendship with Piccolo proved that true.

Gohan rushed over to his friend's bedside and peered down at him.

Shin's cobalt depths took a moment to loose their haze before they settled on the face hovering above him. "Gohan?" He croaked out muzzily. His eyes slid shut again. "Is it time for breakfast?"

Gohan watched with a baffled smile as Shin rolled over and started to drift off into the land off nod again. But Gohan's smile was startled off his face as Shin bolted upright with a look of wide-awake terror on his face.

"You're Gohan Son!" He uttered as he paled.

Even in the face of Shin's panic Gohan couldn't help but think, _oh no, here we go again_, with a mental roll of his eyes and a sigh of resignation.

"Calm down Shin," He tried.

It didn't work. Not that he expected it to.

"No! Stay away! I don't want to hurt you!" The chestnut-haired boy cried out and attempted to scramble backwards to put some distance between them. Unfortunately, he ran out of room and he tumbled off the medical bed backwards. He made a nasty impact sound against the hard floor.

Gohan hastily vaulted over the bed to check that his friend was all right.

Shin most certainly did not look all right. But it was caused by a different reason other than a few newly acquired bruises and bump to the head.

The boy's eyes were flicking around the medical room, and realisation was dawning in his eyes, along with no small amount of horror. He tensed up so rigidly that Gohan thought that he might shatter if touched. Then noticeable tremors ripped through his thin frame, and his respiration level grew erratic.

"W- Where a- am I?" He squeaked out, already knowing the answer but needing confirmation before he lost all rational thought.

His wild eyes looked up at Gohan and the black-haired boy knew that he had to be careful with his words while Shin was in such a fragile state and on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"The medical lab, brat," Vegeta spoke up from where he had positioned himself in the far corner of the room to outwardly observe everyone else.

Gohan felt like punching Vegeta, but he knew that wouldn't go down well. Besides, the adult Saiyan didn't know about Shin's aversion to the 'L' word.

Shin let out a strange choked off cry before springing to his feet and dodging around Gohan as he made a break for the door in a surprising show of nimbleness.

"Shin, wait!" Gohan called after him, but the other boy was already out the door and long gone.

Gohan threw a narrowed glare at Vegeta before running after his friend.

Shin proved to be quite a fast runner because there was no sign of him in the surrounding corridors.

Gohan was forced to open his ki senses to locate him. It was difficult because Shin's ki signature wasn't easy to trace. For starters it was very low, lower than an average boy of his age. Gohan could compare Shin's power to a four-year-old; it really was that low - apart from earlier when the boy was in a state of extreme terror and his ki level rose by a shocking amount in an instinctive attempt to protect himself.

Another reason that it was hard to lock onto him was because his ki kept wavering and changing minutely. It was odd. Gohan had never felt anything like it before. It was as if he were several different people at once; almost like a multiple personality disorder.

Gohan still tracked Shin to the best of his ability though. He led Gohan on a less than merry chase across the expansive mansion. There were so many diverging corridors, floor levels, and hundreds of doors, that it wasn't in least bit funny.

Finally Shin's ki settled and Gohan honed in on it, which left him standing before a door that he couldn't remember ever coming across before during his past explorations of Capsule Corporation.

There was nothing special about it. No markings or signs to keep out. It was just an unremarkable wooden door that you wouldn't really give thought to. Yet Gohan was reluctant to enter since it was rather rude to poke around someone else's home.

But Shin was in there so it left him with little option.

He knocked first anyway to warn Shin that someone was coming in, and since his manners were so deeply ingrained into him by his Mother that being polite came naturally to him nowadays.

Gohan twisted the handle and pushed open the door.

Unlike everywhere else in the mansion, this room was a mess. It looked like an office, though it was hard to tell since almost every inch of floor, wall space, and any available surface was littered with papers. There were notes, scribbled equations, diagrams, spreadsheets and sticky notes all over the place. It couldn't have been more chaotic even if a tornado blew through the room.

Gohan cautiously edged into the small disaster zone and scanned the area for Shin.

He was nowhere to be seen, but there was only one place to hide in the room, unless he was buried under an avalanche of paper.

To avoid stepping on anything that might be considered important, Gohan jumped up into the air and floated over to what could be made out as a desk, half-buried. He lowered himself down onto the desk chair, which was the only thing clear of clutter in the entire room.

Peeking under the desk he saw Shin curled up into a small ball with his eyes screwed shut in misery.

"Shin?" Gohan said softly.

Shin's eyes flew open and he gave a startled twitch that caused him to bump his head against the underside of the desk. Apparently Shin had failed to hear him knock, and neither had he sensed Gohan's presence.

"Go away," Shin muttered despairingly as he tried to shuffle further backwards into the shadows.

His gaze refused to meet Gohan's so he kept his head bowed and picked at loose threads in the carpet.

"Why are you hiding under there? You can't be comfortable on the floor."

"…S'not too bad. I like it here. I feel safe."

"Safe from what?" Gohan probed.

Shin half-shrugged uncertainly. He took a moment to answer. "…From you. From Prince Vegeta. From Dr. Gero. From everyone." He drew his legs closer to his chest and frowned at his bare knees. "I didn't think anyone would find me here."

"I found you," Gohan countered. He bit his lip before taking on a harder edged tone to his voice. "Shin? Has everything you told me been a lie? Like…when you said that you didn't want to kill anyone? Even me?"

Shin shook his head rapidly and buried his face further into his knees. "I really don't want to kill anyone, especially you! That's why I ran away… And I didn't know that you were Gohan Son or else I would have stayed away to protect you from me. I'm so sorry…" Shin's cobalt eyes finally rose to meet Gohan's gaze. "Are you going to kill me now 'cause I'm supposed to kill you?" He looked so wretched that Gohan's heart ached.

Gohan relaxed and let his defences drop as he sensed that Shin was being entirely truthful. "But you don't have to kill me. Dr. Gero doesn't control you anymore; you can make your own choices." Gohan gave him an imploring smile. "And I would never, ever, hurt you in any way, Shin. You're my friend. Friends take care of each other, always."

Fresh tears glided done Shin's cheeks and he gave a small whimper as he flung himself at Gohan, full of need. Gohan felt Shin's thin body thump against his chest and he blinked in surprise for barely a moment before he raised his arms to encircle Shin in return.

They both broke apart, startled as the office door handle twisted and the door swung open.

Dr. Briefs, Bulma's father, froze in the doorway, holding a cup of tea in one hand. He stared at the two boys sitting together in his desk chair.

"Gohan? Is that you? I haven't seen you in months. I can't believe how much you've grown! You're looking more and more like your father everyday." He smiled kindly under his bristly moustache, but then looked bemused and readjusted his thick framed glasses. "But what are you doing in here of all places? And who is your friend?"

Gohan bowed his head politely. "Hello Dr. Briefs, it's nice to see y-" He stopped short as Shin let out a wail of distress and dove under the desk once more, cowering in fear.

"Shin? Shin? What's wrong?" Gohan asked as he tilted his head to see under the desk.

"Don't let him hurt me, Gohan!" Shin pleaded desperately.

"Huh? Dr. Briefs won't hurt you," Gohan tried to reassure.

"He's a doctor, just like Gero!"

"But Dr. Briefs is Bulma's father. He's nice, just like her, honest. Trust me."

Shin looked up at him shakily. "I…I-I can't." He whispered shamefully.

"Your name is Shin is it?" Dr. Briefs asked carefully. "And am I right in thinking that you're afraid of doctors?"

Shin didn't answer so Gohan nodded at the old man to give him his answers.

Dr. Briefs looked thoughtful for a second before placing his cup of tea on a stack of papers. He then shrugged off his white lab coat and hung it on a hook that was nailed to the back of the door. He wore ordinary clothes underneath; a smart white shirt and grey slacks. Gohan had never seen him without his lab coat before.

"You know Shin," Dr. Briefs said softly, like he was trying to soothe a wild animal, "I'm only a Doctor of science, that's all. I leave the medical stuff to professionals. I won't hurt you in any way, I promise."

Gohan glanced down at Shin to see if he was mollified.

He wasn't, so Gohan shrugged at Dr. Briefs hopelessly.

The father of Bulma tried a different approach. "And I'm only a doctor during my working hours. Right now I'm not working. I've managed to escape work to come and relax in my office with a nice cup of tea, and to sneak a cigarette break. My wife is trying to get me to stop, heaven forbid. Her heart's in the right place but I need my daily nicotine dose to keep me on my feet. Since I'm not working, you don't have to see me as a doctor. I'm just an ordinary old man, like any other, with a loving wife and dedicated daughter. They certainly don't call me Doctor, so neither should you. I'm Mr. Briefs, glad to make your acquaintance, Shin."

_That worked. _Gohan noted in relief as Shin relaxed marginally and half crawled out from under the shelter of the desk, to peer over it at Dr. Briefs tentatively.

"Hello." He mumbled quietly in response.

Dr. Briefs really was a clever man. He'd managed to weaken Shin's stereotype of doctors being all-powerful and sadistic. Gero obviously wasn't the type to drink tea, skip out on work, and own a picture perfect family. The humanising approach was successful.

"Not that I mind, but why are you in my office?" Dr. Briefs inquired of Gohan as he picked up his tea and regarded them curiously over the rim of his china cup as he took a sip.

"Um, we're here by chance really…" Gohan replied, feeling unsure what to say that wouldn't spring Shin into a state again.

"I was hiding," Shin admitted hesitantly.

Dr. Briefs smiled. "Oh, a game of hide and seek, hey? How charming. It looks like Gohan found you, Shin. Better luck next time."

Gohan took that as their cue to exit politely. "OK, you're It now, Shin," He played along. "Its your turn to find me."

Shin looked at him in confusion and didn't pick up the hint.

That was when Gohan realised that Shin probably had no clue as to what hide and seek was. So instead, Gohan took hold of Shin's hand and towed him out of the room, with a pleasant smile and a short goodbye to _Mr_. Briefs. Stressing the Mister.

They walked down the corridor in silence for a moment.

"He was nice." Shin spoke softly.

"Yeah. I told you so. You can trust me."

Shin looked down at his feet as he walked. "I know that…it's just…he's a doctor. I don't trust doctors."

Gohan squeezed the hand he still held between them. "I don't blame you. It's OK, I understand."

Shin smiled brightly at him, and the tension was gone. "What's hide and seek?" The chestnut-haired boy questioned naively.

Gohan's smile grew wider. "I'll have to show you some time," Gohan turned them both down another corridor in the direction of the medical lab. "But right now I'm going to check how Bulma is. She fainted and I don't know why. I hope she's not sick."

Shin stopped dead, jerking Gohan to a stop with him. "I don't want to go back there." He said shakily.

"Um, OK, how about you stay in the living room and watch some television while I go to the lab? Does that sound all right?"

Shin nodded hesitantly, reluctant to let Gohan out of sight.

Gohan changed direction and led Shin to the living room.

When they arrived they found Mrs. Briefs, Bulma's mother, doing aerobics in time to the workout on the large screen TV, dressed in a lilac leotard with matching sweatbands on her wrist and head. Her blond hair was pinned up in its usual style, but some curls had fallen loose to hang around her pretty flushed face. Bulma had inherited her looks from her mother and her brains from her father. Luckily not the other way around. Gohan liked Mrs. Briefs. She was the stereotypical young blonde housewife, and a bit of an air head, but she was nice and liked to spoil you rotten. And she never stopped smiling.

She noticed their arrival and turned her beaming smile on them.

"Hello dears. Gohan, is this your friend?"

"Hello Mrs. Briefs. Yes, this is my friend, Shin. Would you mind if he could stay here for a while? I need to go check something important."

"Of course! How lovely." Her smile focused on Shin. "Would you like something to drink? Biscuits? Sweets?"

Shin smiled back nervously. "Can I have some water please?" He seemed much more relaxed around women than men.

Mrs. Briefs tottered over and placed her hands on Shin's shoulders to steer him over in the direction of the couch. "Sit down dear, make yourself comfortable. Here, have the remote for the television. We've got hundreds of channels to choose from. Do you want another cushion? You wanted a glass of water did you say? How about some cookies? They're freshly baked…"

Gohan left Mrs. Briefs to fuss over Shin, hoping that the boy wouldn't be overwhelmed by the woman's kindness.

He picked up his walking pace as he hurried to the medical lab, his worry growing as he finally had time to focus his thoughts on things other than Shin.

He found the medical lab and was about to enter when he heard raised voices.

Gohan stepped closer to the door and pressed his ear to the cold metal. One of the voices sounded to be Bulma's. At least she was all right.

"HE IS NOT MY SON!" Vegeta's voice roared clearly, and Gohan could have sworn that the door shook in its frame.

There was a hiss of mechanisms and the Gohan suddenly fell forwards as his support was taken away from under his hands.

Gohan caught himself before his face hit the floor and he twisted his head to look up and see Vegeta towering over him in the open doorway, looking seething mad.

Vegeta snarled at him, and as he walked past he gave a sharp kick to Gohan's ribs maliciously, then vanished down the corridor.

Gohan rubbed at his sore side and climbed to his feet, not taking his wary eyes off the spot where Vegeta had vanished, in case the Saiyan decided to come back and take his anger out on him again.

Deciding that the coast was clear, Gohan peered into the lab to anxiously check that Bulma was all right.

She stood by the computer, leaning back slightly on the control panel, with her hands grasping the edge to support her slouched frame. She had a look a look of angry frustration on her face, and an odd look of sadness.

"Bulma? Are you OK?"

Her blue eyes swung up to meet his face. "Mm… I guess so…" She said absently as she pushed off the control panel to stand upright. She turned to look up at the large computer screen and brushed a curly strand of hair out of her face as she sighed heavily.

"Gohan, sit down," She directed softly.

Gohan did as he was told and perched himself on the edge of a bed. He frowned lightly up at the woman before him. She was acting strange.

"Gohan, I have to talk to you about Shin…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:**I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me.

-Sigh- I've done it _again_. I've been putting off writing this chapter for ages. My inspiration went on holiday at the worst time.

I still don't like this chapter, but I'm posting it anyway, because I know how annoying it is when an author doesn't post for months on end. I haven't done a very good job of re-reading this, so point out mistakes if you see any. I still need a beta!

Good news is that everything should run smoother from here. It was only the two most recent chapters that I was writing blindly. Future chapters are all on paper so it'll be easier to type up frequently. - PPF

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**Chapter 5**

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Bulma had woken to find herself still in the medical lab, but she had been moved to a nice soft bed. She also found that Gohan and Shin were gone, and Vegeta was standing over her, watching her wake up.

That had made her blush.

But then she remembered the shocking events that led to her fainting in the first place and dashed over to the computer to recheck her results.

Shin was her son…and Vegeta's. He deserved to know the truth.

So she'd told him.

He refused to believe it at first and accused her of telling a stupid lie and wasting his potential training time.

Then she presented the hard evidence.

Vegeta didn't take it well.

His face had shadowed over with darkness and his permanent scowl had become deeper and more intense.

That was when the argument had started.

Vegeta flat out refused to accept Shin as his son, yet Bulma tried to bring him around. And she was nothing but persistent.

Their stubborn personalities clashed and their argument rose in volume until it got to the point where Vegeta blew a gasket.

The Saiyan Prince let out a backlash of invisible energy that had caused Bulma to stumble into her computer console and bruise her hip.

With a tremendous amount of fury, Vegeta had practically screamed, "HE IS NOT MY SON!" and then stomped out of the room.

He was in serious denial.

Bulma had been immersed in her feelings of anger and pity towards the man, when she'd become aware of Gohan's presence in the room as he asked if she was all right.

He was such a sweet boy. He deserved to know the truth as well, didn't he? And she was certain he would take it better than Vegeta.

So she'd sat him down and gone through the explanation all over again, bringing up DNA diagrams on the computer screen.

By the end of it, Gohan was staring at her with his jaw dropped. He moved his mouth soundlessly for a few long moments before he uttered weakly, "…So that means…?"

"He's you're brother." Bulma concluded for him, giving an empathetic smile.

Gohan just sat there blankly. "But I haven't even know him for more than a day," He mumbled dazedly.

"I know, Sweetie, it's hard to take in, but he is your biological brother."

It took another long moment before a small smile of wonder spread across his lips. "I have a brother?"

Bulma nodded happily, relief spreading through her at the beginning of Gohan's easy acceptance.

Gohan's smile dropped suddenly. "Does Shin know?"

Bulma's improving mood dropped like a stone. "I don't know,"

They looked at each other uncertainly.

"We should tell him." Bulma said decisively. "If he doesn't already know, then he needs to."

Gohan jumped off down off the bed. "He's in the living room with Mrs. Briefs. He didn't want to come back to the lab."

"That's no problem, we'll go to him instead of him coming to us," She gestured for Gohan to follow her as she exited the room. "He's with my mother did you say? Good, that means that we can explain it to both of them at the same time. It saves having to repeat myself too often."

Bulma couldn't wait to break the news to her mother and father that they were now grandparents. Bulma wanted to shout out to the whole world that she was a mother.

She'd never really thought of kids. Imagining herself settling down with Yamcha was a hard thing to do, and seeing herself as a housewife with squalling children didn't fit. But now that she had a son, she felt ecstatic. And she hadn't had to go through the drawn out nine months of pregnancy, with the chance of morning sickness, a long list of other negative effects, and the chance of loosing her figure. She didn't have to go through the pain of childbirth, or the irregular sleeping hours, or the phase of the 'terrible two's'; or any more of that hard work. She had it easy.

The only problem was that Shin wasn't just _her_ son alone. He was also the son of Goku, Chi-Chi, Vegeta, Yamcha, Tien, Chaozu, Piccolo and Krillen.

And according to the DNA fragmenter, there was female DNA in Shin that Bulma didn't have any record of on her computer. The unknown genes were dominant just like Goku's, making her the dominant mother, whoever she was…

Child custody was going to be murder later on, but Bulma would fight tooth and nail for it. Shin was her son, and didn't want to let him go.

…Yet…could she really separate Shin and Gohan? They were brothers after all… And Chi-Chi and Goku were also his parents…

Chi-Chi would surely want to take Shin in as one of her own, and by the sound of the woman speaking so fondly of the boy over the phone to her, Shin had already attached himself to the Son family.

And Chi-Chi and Goku had parental experience where Bulma was severely lacking. To be honest, she didn't know the first thing about being a mother.

The urge to nurture hadn't hit her until the issue arrived at her doorstep, for real.

She had a son.

She. Had. A. Son.

She and Yamcha had a son.

…She and Vegeta had a son….

That last thought flustered her badly. Why did that idea thrill her so much? It was wrong.

Just like the fact that she and Piccolo shared a son. Or her and Chaozu. Simply wrong.

And wasn't Piccolo's race asexual? And wasn't it true that Piccolo and Kami were two halves of the same person? Kami was Guardian of Earth, so did that make Shin the son of God?

Bulma wanted to faint all over again under the stress being put on her poor heart. Why was her life so complicated? And downright bizarre.

"Everything will work out fine," Bulma said to herself. At her side Gohan nodded, thinking that she was speaking to him.

They reached the living room and Bulma had to force her legs to keep moving forwards, when all they wanted to do was run the other way.

Even if she was looking forward to her parents finding out, she wasn't so comfortable with telling Shin the news. If he didn't already know then it could get complicated.

Shin paused mid star jump and turned away from the TV to focus his attention on Bulma and Gohan the moment he saw them enter the room. Bulma's mother also paused in her aerobic workout to smile at them.

Shin pulled his half-nibbled cookie out from between his lips and beamed at them, his face flushed. "Gohan, exercising is fun! And cookies taste great! Here, have one," He picked up the plate of cookies that were balancing on the armrest of the couch and ran up to them, careful not to spill any off the sides.

Gohan gladly accepted one and gave Shin an awkward smile as he stared at the other boy in a whole new light.

Shin's sweet face turned up to her. "I'm glad you're OK. Want a cookie?"

She smiled softly, feeling her heart melt. "Thank you." She plucked up a cookie and bit it in half.

Yum, tasty. Her mother always made the best baked goods. They could spoil you for life.

"They've got chocolate bits in, see?" Shin said gleefully as he held up his own cookie for show. "I've never had chocolate before. It tastes yummy."

Shin contained the simple innocence of a young boy, but even more so since it seemed that he had been denied what other normal seven year olds were allowed to experience. In comparison, Gohan's innocence had been dwindling noticeably over the years. He'd lost most of his childhood because he'd been forced to grow up too quickly. He'd seen and experienced far too much for his young age. He was mature beyond his years, and thus, the perfect older brother for Shin, even though they appeared to be the same age. Gohan could help guide Shin through life and act as a role model, and Shin could help rekindle some of Gohan's simple innocence at the same time as helping him to act his age. It was the perfect relationship.

Bulma shoved the rest of the cookie into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed hard as she built up the courage to speak.

"Shin, Sweetie, do you know anything about your parents?"

Shin withdrew into his shell. He looked down at his feet. "I don't have parents," He shifted from one foot to the next uncomfortably. "Unless you count Dr.Gero. He did create me."

"And how exactly were you created, Shin?" Bulma asked carefully.

Shin screwed his face up in thought. "My DNA structure was formed from fragmented DNA strands that he had collected from a selection of chosen specimens," Shin's recited words sounded like something directly from Gero's mouth. "Then I was grown in a growth tank."

Bulma bit her lip. That was some serious scientific work. "Growth tank? How old are you exactly?"

Shin visibly squirmed in discomfort and averted his eyes. "Seven…"

Bulma could tell he wasn't revealing something important, just by looking at his body language. Never mind his hesitant answer.

"Years?" Bulma prodded.

"…Days" Shin admitted.

"You're only a week old?" Gohan stared. "But you look my age!"

Shin shook his head shamefully. "I did tell you I was only seven days old, when we met, remember?"

"The Growth tank?" Bulma asked in realisation.

Shin nodded once. "It made me grow up really fast. I was in there for a year, and I was born a week ago."

This Gero character sure was a genius. From what Bulma was hearing, he had managed to reach goals that scientists had been striving for their entire lives. He'd cracked the process of ageing and DNA manipulation.

That man was playing God. A dangerous game.

"Well do you know who your genes are collected from?" Bulma pushed carefully.

"No," Shin inspected her face, suspicious at her tone of voice, and a spark of realisation lit his cobalt eyes. "But you do, don't you?"

Bulma was pleased with the boy's perceptiveness. _My son is a smart one! _

"Yes. My computer gave some results on your DNA and it managed to separate the genes and identify the owners."

Shin went perfectly still as he listened intently.

"To name a few you've already met. There's Vegeta, Gohan's parents, and me." She gave a supportive smile, brimming with pride she couldn't hide.

Shin's half-eaten cookie fell to the floor.

Bulma's critical eye flicked over the biscuit on the floor and she tried not to get jittery over the chocolate smears on the clean cream, or the crumbs imbedded in the carpet strands.

"…So…so that means… What does that mean?" Shin stuttered uncertainly.

"That means that I'm a grandmother!" Bulma's mother sang joyfully.

Nobody ever gave her mother enough credit. She did have a brain…when she decided to use it. But it could switch off like a short-circuit had occurred.

"I take it Vegeta is the father?" She beamed, not at all perturbed that Vegeta used to be/still was, a mass murdering alien.

"No!" Bulma squealed aghast. "Well, yes, but no, I mean-"

"How wonderful! I have to go tell your father!"

She had already disappeared out of the room before Bulma could stop her.

Shin stared blankly at the two left present. "So I'm related to you?" He asked with a severe lack of sureness.

"Yes, Sweetie, I'm your mother," Bulma couldn't help the happy smile that broke out across her face as she finally said those words out loud.

"But...Gohan's mother is…my mother as well?" He said slowly as he tried to grasp the idea.

Bulma nodded encouragingly.

Shin's startled eyes fixed on Gohan in amazement. "We're brothers?"

"Yep. Weird, huh?" Gohan grinned nervously.

Instead of the joyful reaction Bulma expected of Shin, the chestnut-haired boy paled in horror.

"Dr.Gero wanted me to kill my own brother?" He uttered in a trembling squeak.

Bulma had never thought of it that way. The fact about Shin the one supposed to kill Gohan had slipped her mind completely.

Now that it was pointed out to her, what sort of sick person was Gero? He had to have known about Shin's sibling link to Gohan because he was the creator of Shin's DNA.

"Gero is an evil man," Bulma said firmly. "Nothing he has ever told you is worth remembering. Forget him. You know the truth now and you have us. You can finally live a happy life with your family who care for you."

"I have family?" Shin's lower lip quivered and his voice was so high it almost broke as his large eyes misted with overwhelmed hope-filled tears.

Bulma swooped down to give him a bear hug. Shin was still in emotional shock, so he barely flinched and didn't pull away.

"You have a _very_ big family. One brother, three mothers, and…" She quickly counted in her head, "Seven fathers."

Shin hesitantly raised his arms and returned the hug weakly.

The moment they separated, Gohan was next in line to hug the other boy. "You can come live with me! Mommy and Daddy would say yes."

Bulma wanted to protest about the living arrangements, but she was stopped from opening her mouth when she saw the slow smile of true happiness spread across Shin's face.

"Really? I can live with you and your mother?"

"Our mother," Gohan corrected. "Yes. It'll be great! I've always wanted a brother. Now we can play together all the time!"

Shin grinned and scrubbed at his teary eyes. He looked speechless with rapture.

Bulma's heart sank, but it was kept partially afloat by the understanding that Shin would be happier living with the Son family. He had already sewn himself at the hip with Gohan, and he had instantly acclimatised to the family by the looks of it.

That realisation didn't sting as badly as she had imaged it might. Bulma had somehow known all along that this was how it was going to turn out. And she just wanted to see the poor emotionally and physically scarred boy find happiness, but that was apparently not with her.

Bulma wouldn't let Shin fade from her life though. She wanted to be a big part of it.

She was his mother after all…

…and wasn't it the responsibility of the Mother to ensure that her child was lovingly named?

Shin was just a shortened name for Shinigami, and what sort of name was that?

Bulma reserved the right to give him a proper name, to christen the beginning of his new better life.

And she had the perfect name in mind too.

Trunks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing or Endless Waltz, nor do i own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish i did, but i don't, so there's no point in suing me.

Hi, it's only me again. I know i said last time that the chapters would be coming faster, so i'm sorry this is months late yet again.

The reason is because i got a job. A full time time job. A fully-flex full time job. Meaning my shifts are all over the place, and relaxing free time is a thing of the past. Some of my shifts start as early as 6.30 so by the time i get home i'm tired enough to fall asleep early. And if i'm on the late, i grab as many hours of extra sleep i can before i have to go in. I'm still writing, only now, i'm doing it in my lunch break.

Ahhh...Yes, that's it. Let me bask in your pity...

I was in the mood to post this chapter weeks ago, and i started to type it up, but then lost the rest of the written pages of the chapter. Luckily, when i came home last night from work, i found them, and since today is my day off, i thought i'd finish it and post it while i could.

So far, i've estimated this story to be around 45-50 chapters long. And i've figured out for all you fans of Gundam Wing that you've got around another 6 chapters to go before Shin merges into the Duo Maxwell we all know and love. I'm doing these beginning chapters to show you how Duo was molded into the person he is. See if you can spot some of his future traits evolving as we go along.

Onward! - PPF

**000000**

**Chapter 6**

**000000**

He'd been living with Gohan and Chi-Chi…his brother and mother- that still sounded strange to him– for two weeks now.

He still couldn't quite believe it. He had a family. And he was happy.

Chi-Chi had accepted him into the Son fold with open arms. Of course she had been shocked at first, when she found out. Shocked enough to faint, but that shock had passed the moment she awoke again, and she had bathed him with affection, stating that she had always wanted another child.

Shin had been a bit overwhelmed by it all to be honest. Especially when Bulma and Chi-Chi had started to argue over his name. They never did come to a conclusion, so he was now known as Shin to the Son family, and Trunks to Bulma. He didn't know what to make of it because it was so confusing, so he had trained himself to respond to both names.

He had been escorted back to the Son family home in the mountain district, and had made it his own. He shared Gohan's bed; all three of them shared meals together; and every few days he shared a bath with Gohan, with Chi-Chi there to scrub behind his ears and make him squeaky clean. The best thing so far that Shin enjoyed sharing, was love. Chi-Chi treated him as her own, and Gohan looked to him as a brother. Shin had never known that he could be shown affection, and that he could return it tenfold. Gero had treated him like dirt. No, he was lower than dirt. He had been nothing. A waste of space and oxygen.

Here, in this loving home, he was someone. He was Shin Son.

He had an identity and he felt safe in that knowledge.

Shin and Gohan were closer than before. They spent every moment with each other. It was getting to the point where he didn't think he could live if he had to leave his brother's side for a long period of time. Gohan was his support. He made all of Shin's bad memories of his time with Gero fade away. And he kept the nightmares at bay.

Gohan never allowed him a moment of silence to sit and think, letting the bad thoughts spill back into his head. They played together constantly, inside and outside of the house.

Shin had found out that he loved nature. The mountains and flower fields were beautiful, and he had spent many hours chasing after butterflies with jars and picking wild flowers with Gohan to give to his mother (which she gave him a soft kiss on the forehead for each time). He never got tired of it.

Shin had even been introduced to Chi-Chi's father when the man had popped in to see his family, and his new grandson. That made him Shin's grandfather.

He had a _grandfather_. He couldn't stress it enough. He had never even imagined having one of those.

The man was _huge_, with a hairy face and honed helmet. Shin had been slightly scared of him at first, but the giant's kind nature had won him over in the end.

Shin, Gohan, and their grandfather had gone fishing for the day at a great lake, and took home their catch for their mother to cook for dinner; only to end up reluctantly saying their goodbyes as the man had to head back to his own home. Not without promises to visit again soon, though.

Shin had only gone through one bad experience so far. It had happened when Gohan had taken him to see Icarus in his cave. The cave was small with a low ceiling, and dark. Shin had felt a panic build in his chest when moving further inside the narrow cavern cut into the rocky side of a mountain. It had become so bad he felt like he couldn't breathe, and he had scared Gohan by crying and gasping for breath like a drowning man. All reasonable thought had fled Shin's mind, so he couldn't remember much, except that pure instinctive fear that made him freeze up. Gohan had pulled him out of there and flown him home in record time, panic over Shin pushing him faster than ever before.

All Shin knew was that he had begun to feel better the moment he was out in the open air and the sunlight, with birds twittering in the forest he was being carried over.

Gohan had taken him to their mother for help, and she had held Shin close to her chest whispering reassurances until he had fallen into an exhausted sleep.

Apparently, he was claustrophobic.

If that was true then he had no idea how he had managed to so easily cope with hiding in that cave in the desert mountain. Then again he didn't really remember finding the cave, or going in. He had been suffering with heat stroke, dehydration, starvation, and lack of sleep. Never mind the fear of being caught by Gero driving him on endlessly.

Plus, once in that open cavern with the waterfall, it had been nice and spacious and there had been some sunlight. It hadn't felt like a prison. It didn't evoke the bad memories of his time with Dr.Gero like the other cave had done.

No space, no light, no air… He felt like panicking every time he thought about it.

Dr. Gero was to blame for his claustrophobia. He wished that he didn't remember, but neither Gohan nor Chi-Chi could wipe his memory clean completely.

He had lived in bliss for almost two weeks, but only two days ago, Chi-Chi had asked him to take an IQ test. He thought that it was an odd request but he complied anyway.

Then the routine at the Son house changed drastically from what Shin had grown used to.

He suddenly found out that his and Gohan's freedom came at a very high price, and that their mother could be as strict as a military General. She was a slave driver in disguise.

The moment Chi-Chi had marked Shin's IQ test and declared him a genius, he had been thrown into a world of textbooks and hard-core studying.

Gohan was along for the ride, unwillingly of course, but his mother had complained that he was lagging behind in his studies due to recent events. She was completely obsessed about making her sons study for outrageous hours straight.

So here they both were, in their room, surrounded by piles of books, paper, and writing equipment.

Gohan sat at his desk, bent over his work, scribbling diligently, and Shin was spread lazily across their bed on his front as he tried to concentrate on the book he was holding.

The bedroom window was wide open letting fresh outdoor air drift into the stuffy room on a pleasant breeze.

Shin couldn't keep his focus on the book and he found himself more than once staring longingly out the window at the bright sunshine, blue sky, and green wilderness that called to him enticingly. He wanted to drop his book and charge outside to run freely wherever he pleased, but he knew that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

He let out a depressed sigh.

Gohan's pencil scratch stopped and the black-haired boy turned to glace at his brother.

Shin looked at him dully. "I'm bored, Gohan. If I study anymore my brain is going to turn to mush."

Gohan gave him a wry smile. "Just one more hour and then Mum said that we can take a break."

"That's too long," Shin pouted. " I want to go outside and play right now. I don't see the point in studying stuff I already know."

"Well try learning something new," His brother offered.

"Like what?"

Gohan became contemplative and pushed back in his chair making it tilt on its back legs as he chewed on the end of his pencil.

"Um…how about learning a different language? It could come in handy."

"Naw, I'm fluent in every language there is." Shin blew a wild lock of chestnut hair out of his face.

"Wow, are you sure? So you know English?"

"Yep."

"Spanish?"

"Yep."

"Russian?"

"Yep."

"French? German? Chinese? Latin…?"

"Yep."

Gohan stared at him in awe. "That's amazing,"

"Not really. It's not like I had a choice to learn. It was forced on me before I was even born."

"And now you're forced into it again…" Gohan concluded in sad realisation as he gazed at the piles of books around them.

"Yeah, but I guess that this is different. At least I'm able to read and write whatever I want, and I'm not having stuff crammed into my head my head by a computer. I'd choose this kind of learning any day."

He returned to his book to signal that the conversation was over. Shin did not like discussing his past, no matter what his family said about having heart-to-heart talks to get it all off his chest, just to make him feel better. He never felt better after revealing something secret. It made him feel even more dirty than before, because then they showed pity. He didn't like pity, but all he could do was ignore it, or not give them something to pity him over in the first place.

"Well have no fear!" Gohan said boldly as he held a heroic pose. "Icarus will soon be here!"

Shin laughed, knowing that his brother was attempting to cheer him up, and he found it working.

Gohan struck another odd pose and accidentally overbalanced his chair, tipping it over backwards, taking its occupant with it.

There was a heavy thud as Gohan groaned as he lay sprawled out on the floor.

Shin dropped his book and burst out laughing as he rolled around on the bed clutching his middle as if it would explode. He'd never laughed so hard in his life. It felt great.

Gohan quickly joined in, finding it easy to laugh at himself.

"Gohan! Shin! You boys better be studying!" Chi-Chi shouted as warning from the kitchen.

"Yes mother!" Gohan called back, trying to sound as truthful as possible and not overly innocent.

Shin and Gohan looked to each other and suddenly they were taken by laughter again, but they kept their amusement to a bare minimum and only allowed stifled giggles.

Gohan picked himself and his chair up off the floor and brushed imaginary dust off his neat clothes.

"How about we sneak out?" Shin suggested with a scheming grin.

Gohan glanced towards the bedroom door as if expecting his mother to be standing behind it, ready to come bursting in and start shouting.

"I don't know…" He said hesitantly. "Mom will be really mad if she finds out."

"Then we won't be gone long. We'll be back before she realises."

Shin's brother frowned uneasily, but then gave a deciding smile. "OK, but we have to quick and quite, got that?"

Shin's face split into a beaming smile as he nodded enthusiastically and sprang upright, shoving his books to the other side of the bed carelessly.

"We can't go too far from the house either," Gohan warned, firmly setting down the rules. "Just in case Mommy calls for us if she finds us missing."

He opened his mouth to add something else but stopped dead, choking back his words as his eyes widened and his face drained of all colour.

"Goh-?" Shin started to question in worry, but also broke off as he felt a wave of ki crash brutally against his senses, taking his breath away. The phenomenal glimpse of pure power was mind-blowing, but the thing that was so terrible about it, was the permeating taint of evil. It chilled Shin to the bone.

"W-What? Who?" He stammered in fear, looking to his brother for answers and reassuring comfort, yet he found none. Gohan looked even more horrified than Shin felt.

"Gohan?" Shin squeaked.

Gohan's glazed gaze focused on him. "It's not possible… No way, he's dead!"

"Who is it?"

Gohan took a deep calming breath and his fear turned to anger. "Freiza." He spat.

Shin looked at him nonplussed.

"An alien who used to be tyrant of the universe, until he met Daddy." Gohan elaborated slightly.

"Why is he coming to this planet?" Shin asked fretfully.

"I don't know…" He trailed off in thought but quickly transformed his demeanour into determination. "But I'm going to find out."

Gohan dove under his bed and pulled out a box containing some strange amour. The other boy then stripped out of his clothes and yanked the suit on with haste. The amour was pulled down over his head and he sat down on the edge of the bed to cram his boots on.

"You're not going out to meet him are you?" Shin followed his brother's movements with wide eyes.

"I have to see if it's really him, I just have to. And if it is, I have to fight him to protect the planet."

"Fight?" Shin suddenly felt a swoop of dread in his gut.

His brother was off to risk his life for the sake of Earth, and he felt helpless. He couldn't fight. He hadn't stuck with Dr.Gero long enough to learn; and for the first time, he cursed his choice to run. If he could fight, he could possibly help against Freiza.

Then again, he was scared by the alien's ki alone. He'd probably wet himself if they met face to face.

"Stay here, Shin," Gohan ordered sternly. "You'll be safer the furthest away from Freiza you can get."

Gohan moved towards the open window but Shin held him back.

"Don't go Gohan, you could get hurt! Please don't go, don't leave me…"

Gohan's onyx eyes softened as they looked at each other.

"Shin…I have to go. I have to protect the planet. I don't want to fight, but I have to. I especially need to keep you and Mommy safe. Let me go. Please."

Shin gave Gohan a tight squeeze before withdrawing. "Be careful."

Gohan nodded tightly with a thin-lipped smile before hopping out of the open window and soaring up to the blue sky on the horizon.

Shin watched his flare of white ki vanish in the distance, but he stood staring up at the sky long after Gohan was too far away to see anymore.

He let out a long sigh.

"I'm always useless," He kick a thick book on the floor dejectedly, but ended up stubbing his toe. "I can't do anything right,"

He sat heavily on the bed and absently nursed his foot as he was drawn into his depressing thoughts that put himself down, just like Gero always did.

"Gohan! Shin! I've just finished the cookies! I'll fill up a plate and you can share them while you take a break from studying!" Chi-Chi called from the kitchen.

Shin froze up in horror. Gohan had gone and taken off, leaving him to face the brunt of Chi-Chi's wrath, all alone.

It was only a matter of time before she found out that Gohan was missing, and she was bound to throw a tantrum. Questions would be asked as well, and Shin didn't want to see how she would react if he told her that Gohan had flown off to fight an evil alien.

Shin briefly wondered if Chi-Chi recognised the name Freiza and could perhaps clue him in a bit more, but he dismissed the thought just as quickly.

_That's a crazy idea. I'm not going to stick around to face her._

"Boys?" Chi-Chi's slightly annoyed voice called again. "The cookies are going to get cold if you don't hurry! There's a glass of milk here for the both of you as well!"

Shin bounced to his feet and only just curbed his instinct to run around in panicked circles.

"Got to go, got to run now!" He whispered a stream of disjointed instructions to himself.

He eyed the open window and dashed for his escape.

He had a leg over the sill when all of a sudden something big appeared before him and he was looking directly into a pair of close-up green eyes.

Shin tried to leap back with a yelp of surprise, but his foot caught on the sill and he tumbled over backwards to land on the floor with a loud thump.

His fear turned to joy as he saw that his surprise visitor was none-other than a purple dragon flapping his wings outside the window.

"Icarus!" Shin jumped to his feet and leant out of the window to pat the young dragon on the head.

Icarus licked at his face in happy response but then stuck his head through the window to look around the room expectantly.

Shin caught onto his actions quickly. "Gohan's not here."

Icarus' wings drooped in disappointment, but he perked up again soon enough as Shin scratched him under his chin. "Gohan may not be here, but I am. Turn around so I can get on your back,"

"Gohan, Shin!" Chi-Chi called once more. "What are you boys up to?"

Her footsteps stomped down the corridor towards the bedroom.

"Go, go, go!" Shin whispered frantically as he sprung out of the window to vault onto Icarus' back.

He barely had time to hold on before the small dragon shot up into the sky like a scaly bullet.

Glancing back over his shoulder and trying not to fall off he saw the house growing smaller as they travelled higher and further away.

But even the widening distance didn't stop Chi-Chi's rant of fury from reaching his ears over the rush of wind.

Shin let out a breath of relief. He was safe for now.

But he had to go back eventually which was problematic.

The chestnut-haired boy sucked in a lungful of fresh air and thought about where he could go now.

This was a breakthrough for him since he had optionally left the house without having to rely on someone coming with him.

OK, he was with Icarus, but dragons didn't count.

Shin was at a loss where to go and what to do. His insecure instincts latched on Gohan's distant ki signature for reassurance.

Icarus was already flying in the same direction as Gohan so Shin made up his mind easily.

Blame it on the lack of oxygen going to his brain due to the high altitude, or his troublesome curiosity – but he decided to tail Gohan and go check out this Freiza guy.

"Hey Icarus, keep going west and we'll meet up with Gohan," Shin urged.

Icarus flapped faster at the prospect of seeing Gohan and made a rumble of happiness.

Shin smiled and made himself comfortable for the long ride ahead.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters from Gundam Wing or Endless Waltz, nor do i own any characters from Dragonball Z. Wish i did, but i don't, so there's no point in suing me.

Hey folks! I've got work in the morning starting at 5 (yeah i know, bleh), so i'm posting this quickly before i turn in early for the night. But that means i'm in a rush, and this hasn't been proof read very well. If you spot mistakes, point them out. I'd appreciate it. Honestly.

This is a _big_ chapter so it should keep you happy. And look! A little dose of action!

A few questions should be answered about the identity theft of the name Trunks in this one. So to all the readers who i completely confused and then queried me about it, here's your answer. I hope. - PFF

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**Chapter 7**

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Gohan felt eyes on his back once again. He turned his head sharply just in time to meet a pair of icy-blue eyes studying him intensely before they averted away quickly in an attempt not to be caught watching.

The lilac-haired stranger was a mystery, that was for sure.

Just as the gathered group of Earth fighters had decided there was no other option but to fight, he had appeared out of nowhere and single-handedly destroyed all evidence of Freiza's visit. The spaceship was blown sky-high, the henchmen decimated, King Kold- Freiza's Father- shown no mercy, and Freiza himself, sliced into pieces and turned to ash on the wind.

The most shocking factor however was that the unknown young man was a Super Saiyan!

Vegeta seemed to be seething over that detail.

Gohan was still slightly stuck on the concept himself. It was his belief that the only Saiyans left were his Father, Vegeta and himself.

At first, Gohan had been intimidated by the mature teenager with lavender hair, yellow boots, blue jacket, sharp sword, and phenomenal power; but the fear had faded after a while to be replaced with a deep curiosity. He felt drawn to the warrior for some reason.

Apparently the warrior was also drawn to him since he kept stealing glances every few minutes in his direction.

His eyes occasionally flicked over Piccolo, Tien, Paaur, Chaozu, Krillen, and Yamcha; but his main focus repeatedly returned to Bulma, Vegeta, and Gohan. It was odd.

Everything else working through Gohan's head was overshadowed by the hope of seeing his father very soon.

The stranger had confidently predicted Goku's arrival on Earth in three hours. Gohan wasn't exactly sure how he knew, but he blindly trusted him anyway.

Everyone had stuck around the desert mountain spot to wait for Goku's return, and so far two hours out of the three had passed.

At this point in time, Gohan was beginning to fidget restlessly. He never had been very patient. His mother always complained that he had inherited the trait from his father, but perhaps it was just a Saiyan thing.

Gohan got up of the desert floor and dusted himself down before strolling over to where Piccolo was perched on a boulder meditating.

Feeling bored, the seven-year-old decided that he wanted attention.

"Hey Piccolo, what ya doin'?"

"What does it look like kid?" Piccolo growled back, annoyed that his silence was stripped away. He didn't even move or open his eyes to respond.

It wasn't a question but Gohan answered anyway. "Meditating."

Piccolo ignored him so Gohan continued to prod carefully. "Why are you meditating?"

Piccolo opened one eye to glare down at him. "Scat brat, can't you see I need peace and qu-" He frowned in confusion and opened his other eye to look sharply over towards the mountain peak.

Gohan looked too, just in time to see something soar over the rocky ridge and swoop down towards the gathered group of fighters.

By now all of the people present had noticed the unidentified flying object and were watching closely, some in wary defence stances in case it was an enemy that had escaped the lavender-haired teenager's wrath.

Gohan blinked hard once as he recognised the flapping purple dragon as Icarus, but his surprise shot up a few notches once he saw who was riding him.

_Why is Shin here? Did he follow me?_

Icarus met with the dirt in a tired and clumsy landing and then flopped, panting, to the ground, his wings limp.

Shin hopped off quickly and patted the exhausted dragon on the head in thanks, and then he turned to face the group apprehensively.

Shin's cobalt eyes fixed on Gohan and he gave a shy wave.

Everyone looked between Shin and Gohan curiously, wondering what was going on. Bulma was beaming, Vegeta was scowling.

Gohan sighed and then jogged over to his brother.

"Shin!" He hissed in a whisper, well aware of the stares he was receiving. "What are you doing here?!"

"I followed you," Shin looked down at his shoes as he scuffed them in the dirt.

"I guessed that, but why? You knew that it was dangerous,"

"Yeah but you left me at home with Mom so I left before she started shouting. Icarus appeared at the window so we flew away, but then I decided to follow you to make sure you didn't get hurt. You fly faster than Icarus though so it took ages to get here. Icarus is really tired now, but he came all this way to see you. We're both glad you're OK," Shin threw himself on Gohan and hugged him tightly, clutching at his armour.

Gohan squeezed back warmly, knowing that Shin needed the reassurance.

They separated but Shin refused to release Gohan's sleeve.

"Hey honey!" Bulma called out to Shin with a smile. "Come on over here and I'll introduce you to everyone!"

Shin's eyes nervously flicked over everyone gathered and he took a step back in reluctance.

"Don't worry," Gohan said soothingly as he took hold of Shin's hand and pulled the boy forwards.

All of the fighters crowded closer curiously.

Bulma moved to stand behind Gohan and Shin, and she placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet this special little guy, Trunks Son."

Gohan watched in faint amusement as everyone's faces morphed to look gob-smacked, and a loud shrill chorus of "WHAT?!" echoed through the mountains.

No one's expression compared to the lavender-haired stranger though. He looked shell-shocked and horrified at the same time.

"Did you just say…Trunks…Son?" He choked out.

"Yes I did," Bulma looked positively gleeful. "This little guy is Gohan's brother and part of the Son family."

"Bulma," Gohan twisted to look up at her with disapproving eyes. "You know his name is Shin, so stop calling him Trunks. It's confusing having two names."

Bulma moved her hands to her hips and pouted. "He's my son so it's my duty as his mother to name him, and I say he's called Trunks."

"Your…son?" The sword-wielder stammered. He looked like he was on the verge of a heart attack.

"You have a son and you didn't tell me about him?!"" Yamcha shrieked.

"Oh Kami," Krillen mumbled in a daze. "Bulma and Goku? Together? A Kid?"

Bulma blanched. "No, no, no! You've got the wrong idea! Goku and I have never been together! You don't know the whole story yet."

"If he's a Son, does Goku know about him?" Tien asked as he stared down at Shin, who had moved to half hide behind Bulma's legs.

"Not yet. Only Gohan, Chi-Chi, Vegeta, I, and my parents, knew of his existence up until now."

"This isn't right, you're not meant to exist…" The lavender-haired teenager said in fearful conclusion as he stared wide-eyed at Shin.

Shin flinched at the accusation and Gohan and Bulma jumped to his defence.

"Hey come on," Bulma frowned. "I stood up for you before so why are you now turning on a little kid?"

"He's my brother and best friend!" Gohan said firmly and pulled Shin close to him protectively to shield him from everyone's' stares.

"Since when have you had a brother?" Krillen asked.

"Er…since…well, since the two weeks ago, truthfully," Gohan struggled to make sense.

"He's sort of adopted," Bulma put in helpfully.

"Did you adopt him, or Chi-Chi? I don't get it," Yamcha moaned as he pressed his hands to the sides of his head as if he was suffering from a bad headache.

"Chi-Chi did. That's why his surname is Son."

"Then why are you his mother?"

Bulma's shoulders sagged in a dramatic show, clearly displaying that she was tired of questions. "Look guys, it's complicated. Can we just talk about this back at Capsule Corp? You all need to be there because it involves all of you." She looked over the stranger in their midst. "Except you."

"No," He said harshly in return. "It does involve me. Explain now."

Bulma pursed her lips unhappily, but relented. "Ok, but I won't go into great detail." She took a deep breath. "Exactly a week ago, from what I've gathered, Gohan was out exploring the desert mountains when he came across Trunks hiding in a cave. He'd run away from his father-"

"He's not my father!" Shin burst out vehemently. "I hate him, he's a bad man!"

"I know Sweetheart," Bulma stroked his hair to calm him.

"Well, he ran away," She amended. "But luckily Gohan came across him and took him home where he stayed the night. The morning after, Gohan brought Trunks to me so I could do a health check on him. That's when an important discovery was made. Trunks has a tail."

All eyes turned to Shin in surprise.

"Show them, Trunks," Bulma encouraged.

Shin bashfully uncurled his tail and waved it around for everyone to see for a brief moment before drawing it back and hugging it close to his chest.

"He's a Saiyan!" Krillen stated the obvious.

"Well noticed, cue ball," Vegeta sneered.

"Is he yours? I'd say you qualify as a 'bad man'." Krillen looked between Shin and Vegeta trying to find a resemblance.

"No! That _Thing _is not my son!" The Saiyan Prince shouted.

"Yes he is! Why won't you accept him?" Bulma stomped her foot and scowled in annoyance. "And Trunks is not a '_Thing_', he's a living person with feelings."

"I did not conceive him so therefore he is not my son!" Vegeta argued right back.

"That's OK, I don't want to be your son either," Shin piped up.

Vegeta turned furious eyes on Shin. Gohan looked at him defiantly; daring him to try and land a finger on his brother.

"You cheated on me with Vegeta?!" Yamcha bellowed in outrage. Paaur tugged at his black hair, trying futilely to stop Yamcha's mouth running off, but it was too late.

"No you moron! How dare you assume that I'd cheat on you!" Bulma fumed at him. "If one of us was to cheat, it would be you! You can't keep your eyes from straying every time another woman walks past!"

"I'm not that untrustworthy, Bulma!"

"Neither am I, so what made you jump to the conclusion that I cheated on you with Vegeta?!"

Yamcha gave her a ludicrous look. "Are you kidding me? Every time Vegeta's name is mentioned you get this dreamy look on your face."

Vegeta looked over a Bulma with a curious brow raised.

Bulma blushed under his scrutiny, as well as everyone else's.

"That's not true," She mumbled in weak protest, not sounding too sure with herself.

"Yeah right," Yamcha scoffed as he scowled at Vegeta as if everything in the world was his fault.

Vegeta scowled back undaunted. "Look here you pathetic weakling, I have no intention of having any type of relationship with your loud mouthed Earth female."

Both Yamcha and Bulma puffed up in outrage.

"I'm not a weakling!"

"I'm not loud mouthed! And my name is Bulma!"

The purple-haired Saiyan spoke up hesitantly. "So there's not even a small chance of you two getting together?" He asked Vegeta and Bulma.

Yamcha turned his scowl on him. What are you trying to do? Set them up?"

The young warrior backed down looking sheepish. "No, no, not at all."

Bulma turned her smoking gaze to Yamcha again. "We're having a long talk when we get back buster."

That was the end of that topic of conversation.

"Now if you had only let me finish," Bulma complained, "I would have told you that Trunks is a special little boy – unique even. He contains the mixed DNA of all the adults present here, and some more. For example, he contains both my and Vegeta's genes, technically making him our son. Also making him the son of Yamcha, Krillen, Tien, Chaozu, Chi-Chi, Goku, and even Piccolo. Now do you get it?"

"What?" The stranger croaked out looking ill. "How is that possible?"

"I have a son?" Yamcha asked weakly. Paaur collapsed out of the air in shock to land on the human warrior's shoulder in a daze.

Tien's third eye widened along with the other two, showing the full extent of his surprise.

Gohan noted everyone's shocked states in further amusement. Even Piccolo looked like he'd been punched particularly hard in the gut.

"Yes you are all now officially fathers, congratulations, it's a boy." Bulma said dryly. "And it's possible because he was genetically created by a scientist going by the name Dr. Gero-"

The stranger let out a snarl and leapt at Shin looking like he was ready to tear the boy limb from limb.

Bulma let out a short frightened scream and backed away hastily as the lavender-haired warrior pulled out his sword and flared into a golden burst of energy as he transformed into a Super Saiyan.

Gohan tackled Shin out of harms way as the sword came down, and they rolled to a stop in the dusty dirt.

The attacking Saiyan jumped at them again and swung his blade in an arc.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Bulma screamed in horror and shocked anger.

Gohan curled himself protectively over his brother, knowing that they wouldn't be able to dodge this time. He waited to feel the bite of the blade on his body, but it never came. He glanced up to see Piccolo, Krillen, Yamcha, and Tien standing between them and the sword wielder.

"Have you gone insane?" Yamcha asked angrily. "You're attacking two innocent kids, and one happens to be my son. So if you don't mind, back off!"

"That _Thing_? Innocent?" The teenager seethed. "It's a cold-blooded killing machine, nothing more. I have to kill It before it starts taking lives!"

Shin was a mess of tears, shivering in fear under the stranger's fury, but Gohan was still together enough to take in the teenager's words and form a protest.

"No! Shin isn't a bad person! He doesn't want to hurt anyone, even though Dr.Gero told him to. He ran away from him so he wouldn't have to kill anyone! I know more about him than you, and you don't understand! I won't let you kill him!"

The gold-haired youth's sharp aqua eyes softened for a fraction of a second as he looked past the protective warriors, down at Gohan, but then his gaze hardened in resolve.

"I can't let it live. I don't want to hurt you Gohan, but I will if it means saving billions of lives on this planet."

Moving faster than any of them could see, he blurred out of sight and reappeared again in mid-kick, which was delivered to Piccolo's head. The Namek was knocked to the side, leaving a gouge in the earth from the force of the blow.

Tien went down next due to a punch to the jaw that sent him flying.

Yamcha and Krillen balked in fear but recovered quickly and pressed back to back for defence, each in their own defensive stances.

The super Saiyan phased again and before Gohan could blink, Yamcha was on his knees, coughing and wheezing as he wrapped his arms around his gut, and Krillen was flat on his back, looking dazed, as if he had had his legs swept out from under him.

The gold-haired warrior phased before the two unguarded boys and raised a hand to aim his palm at them.

A swirling ball of golden energy formed and grew in size as he charged it up in preparation to fire.

"I f you don't move Gohan, I'll fire on you. This blast isn't strong enough to kill you but it will do some damage. You can't protect that _Thing_ from the blast. It isn't strong enough yet to survive such an attack of energy, luckily for this planet. This is your last chance, Gohan."

"No! I'm not moving!" Gohan screamed at him. "Leave him alone! I won't let you hurt him!" With all of his anger he glared up at the golden-haired super Saiyan. "I hate you! You're a bad man!"

Gohan wasn't sure why, but the energy blast flickered unstably as a look of intense hurt passed over the teenager's face.

Gohan took advantage of it, desperate to stop the Saiyan from killing Shin.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" He shouted venomously at the top of his lungs.

The older fighter seemed to flounder, his mouth unable to form words past his emotional pain.

"I…Gohan…" His features hardened again as the hurt was buried. "I'm not the bad guy here. Why can't you understand? I'm sorry, Gohan, this needs to be done."

With that, the energy blast was fired.

Gohan cried out in fear for his brother, and slightly for himself, as he threw himself protectively over Shin at the last second and threw up a ki shield around them.

It wouldn't be enough to stop the bulk of the blast. Gohan could maybe survive it, but Shin didn't stand a chance.

Gohan had to try anyway.

Bulma screamed in the background, and Paaur shouted in that high pitched squeak he owned that made him sound like a girl, "No!"

Then there was a shift in the air that Gohan sensed and suddenly, instead of seeing the ball of light hurtling at him, he was staring at the back of a pair of legs.

The golden figure standing over the two boys easily deflected the blast with a flick of his wrist, where it veered off course and hit a distant rock cliff, which was turned to rubble.

Gohan and Shin's shocked gazes inched upwards to stare at the back of the man's golden blonde head.

"Kakkarot!" Vegeta's voice spat out.

"Daddy…?" Gohan said breathlessly.

"Goku?! But you're not supposed to arrive for another hour!" The sword-wielder said in surprise.

"Thanks to a useful technique I picked up, I'm back a little earlier than planned." Goku said in return.

Gohan felt like bursting with joy. It was really him!

He had come back, and he'd saved Shin's life. Gohan couldn't have been more relieved.

His Father's voice was flat and low, signalling that he wasn't happy, and that he was on the verge of being angry.

It was the voice he used when he was about to fight an enemy, and Gohan had past dubbed it 'the serious voice'.

"Freiza beat me to the planet, but I sensed a powerful force already on the surface," Goku spoke to the stranger. "So I knew that you had the power to defeat him. After you finished him off I was sure you were on our side, but it appears that I was wrong. You attacked my friends and my son. That is unacceptable. Why are you doing this?"

"I need to kill that _Thing_!" The younger Super Saiyan jabbed a finger at Shin. "If I don't the human race will be annihilated!"

"That's not true!" Gohan shouted back. "Daddy, don't let him hurt Shin!"

Goku turned slightly so he could look down at Gohan, yet not turn his back on the other Saiyan.

Gohan looked up at him with pleading eyes. Shin also looked up at Goku with frightened, tear stained face.

Goku turned back to the stranger with a frown. "He's just a little boy. Why do you think he's dangerous?"

The teenager growled in frustration. "We need to talk."

He glanced around at the other warriors before returning his gaze to Goku. "In private. I originally came here to speak to you. I'll explain everything, but only to you, alone."

Goku nodded sharply. "Lets move over to clearing then," He looked over to a flat patch of desert a distance away.

They both jumped into the air and took off towards it, leaving everyone else behind.

"Why is Kakkarot so special that the teenage brat will only speak to him?" Vegeta huffed.

"Well Goku is a Super Saiyan," Bulma replied.

Vegeta turned his back on her stroppily, pretending not to hear.

Gohan worriedly looked down at Shin, who was trembling in his arms. "It's OK now Shin, our Daddy is here. He'll keep you safe."

"I don't want to die," Shin's watery wide eyes sought out Gohan's for reassurance. And Gohan was eager to give it.

"Daddy and I won't let anything happen to you, promise."

Shin crumpled into Gohan, and the black-haired boy wrapped his little brother in a tight embrace.

Gohan didn't know if he was doing a good job at being a responsible big brother, but he was doing his best. He was unsure about everything. He'd always relied on others to protect him because he was so young and inexperienced in life and fighting (according to everyone else), but now it was his turn to give the same protection to someone else, and he was clueless. It was like going into a deadly battle with a blindfold on. He was just fumbling his way through with cautious instinct, scraping by with near misses and pure luck. Being a big brother was hard work.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" Bulma cooed as she came over to the pair.

Shin pulled away from Gohan and clumsily wiped his tears away before nodding bravely up at her.

"I was so scared for you," Bulma admitted and bit her lip as she bent down and crushed Shin in a new hug.

Something about Shin just made you want to squeeze him tight to you and never let go. Gohan had placed a word against Shin that embodied him; and that word was cute. Boys weren't generally thought of as cute, but in this case, no other word applied that was more fitting.

Bulma looked over at Gohan with a soft smile as she pressed her cheek to the top of Shin's chestnut head.

"Thank you for protecting him, Gohan,"

Gohan didn't need thanks. "I couldn't let him get hurt. I'm his big brother so it's my job to look out for him." Gohan stated as he puffed up his chest responsibly. "That's what my Mommy said."

"Well you're doing a great job so far," Bulma's smile grew and amusement sparkled in her blue eyes.

There was a short cough above them and they all whipped their gazes up to see Krillen, Yamcha, Tien, Chaozu, and Paaur looking down at them curiously.

A quick glance told Gohan that Vegeta was busy glaring full force over at the two Super Saiyans in the distance, and Piccolo was just standing to one side with an odd look of concentration on his face as if his attention was elsewhere.

"Sooo…"Yamcha began awkwardly. "Is it true about…you know..." He gave a faint unsure gesture towards Shin.

Bulma released Shin and stood up to face them, while Shin pressed back into her legs to shrink away from the group of strangers' stares. "Yes. Trunks is your Son. You're all official fathers. Well not _official_ fathers. He doesn't own a birth certificate. Image the chaos if we were to explain his existence to the government."

The group of warriors paused blankly until Krillen gave a friendly smile and bashfully offered his hand out to Shin.

"Hello Trunks, it's great to meet you. I'm Krillen, and I guess, I'm one of your fathers'.

Shin stared at the outstretched hand warily, before timorously accepting it and shaking. "Hello," He said quietly in return, no more than a whisper.

The timid process of introductions continued until Shin was acquainted with each of his new fathers', and Paaur.

Gohan found the scene particularly unusual, and everyone was obviously uncomfortable.

"So how did this Dr.Whats-His-Name get hold of our DNA in the first place?" Krillen asked, bemused.

Krillen looked to Bulma, Bulma looked to Shin, and Shin looked back at her blankly, signifying that he had no clue.

"Does it matter for now?" Tien asked.

"No, but this is still weird," Chaozu looked down at Shin from his floating position with his arms and legs crossed in a seated pose in thin air, and a thoughtful frown on his face.

"You can say that again," Yamcha muttered.

"Gohan!" Piccolo barked over at them. "Come here." He ordered sternly, leaving no room for choice.

Gohan eyed him carefully. Was it just him or was Piccolo looking a shade of green paler than usual… And why did he look so tense?

Gohan glanced at Shin to give a smile before he jogged over to Piccolo's side.

"Are you OK Mr Piccolo?" He asked inquiringly.

"Fine kid. Just stay by me, OK?" He grunted back, but Gohan detected a note of protectiveness in his voice. What was Piccolo protecting him from?

Ah, must have been that stranger. He was coming back over with his Daddy, and they weren't Super Saiyans anymore, so it looked like there wasn't going to be any fighting.

The lilac-haired teenager landed close by and instantly fixed his narrow-eyed stare on Shin. Even his father looked grim.

Gohan worriedly tried to go to his brother in case the stranger decided to attack again – but he found himself held back as Piccolo gripped his shoulder, keeping him firmly in place.

"I heard everything you said," Piccolo directed at the stranger and Goku.

Both Super Saiyans blinked at him, stunned.

Gohan's father looked back over at the spot where the two had been standing previously, as if measuring the distance. He looked back at Piccolo in amazement.

"How?"

"My ears do more than frame my face," Piccolo replied.

Gohan almost laughed at that. It was such an un-Piccolo thing to say. But it was true; his ears were excellent at hearing everything. No matter how hard he tried, or how low he could hide his ki, Gohan couldn't successfully sneak up on his old mentor because Piccolo always heard him coming.

Piccolo turned his hard gaze on the teenager.

"Tell the rest of them what you told Goku. We are all involved in this and we should be given the chance to change our destinies."

"If you heard," The sword wielder said coolly, "Then you know I only chose to tell Goku what I know because he can make the most difference… and it's hard enough to explain once alone."

"What are you talking about?" Vegeta snapped in annoyance.

"If you don't tell them, I will." Piccolo ignored Vegeta and gave his ultimatum to the young warrior.

Gohan watched the lilac-haired stranger grimace and squirm uncomfortably.

"Fine." He reluctantly conceded and turned to address the whole group.

"It's your choice to believe me or not, but I'm not originally from this Time. I'm from twenty years in the future and I used a Time Machine to travel here. The reason I've come to this Time is to forewarn you about a future threat. In three years time from now, on the morning of May 12th, 10am, two of the most destructive beings in existence will be unleashed and first appear nine miles south-west of South City. They have terrible power and they act as monsters, decimating everything they come across. Women, children, whole cities, will be mercilessly annihilated. The Earth turned into a barren wasteland, the human race reduced to barely anything. O many have suffered in my Time. It's a constant fight to stay alive. I've been fighting them for almost my entire life, but I can't beat them. I've barely left more than a scratch on them. Their power is maddening, and what's worse, is that it never runs out. In my Time, you all went up against the duo in one big battle, but it was futile. Vegeta, Krillen, Yamcha, Tien, and Piccolo perished. All but Gohan were slaughtered."

…_What…?_ Gohan forgot how to breath. _They're all gonna die…? But…why do I survive?_

Everyone else listening to the stranger's tale looked shell-shocked – just as he probably looked as well.

The teenager's sad gaze fell on Gohan. "Gohan, my mentor and my best friend. The person I saw as a brother and father figure. The one who helped raise me, saved my life countless times, and taught me everything I know."

Quite a few awed looks were directed at Gohan but he didn't notice them. He was trapped in the Time traveller's icy blue eyes that were so hard, yet held such a deep mournful wisdom and so much loss.

_So that's why he kept looking at me funny earlier… He knows the future me. How strange must this be for him to see me at this age? I sound really cool in the future, but why does he look so sad?_

"Those heartless creatures finally got him thirteen years later." The young man said in a strained voice.

Shin let out a muted whimper. Gohan felt all of his inner organ turn to ash, and he suddenly felt sick and light-headed.

_I'm gonna die too?_ He thought in distress.

Piccolo's hand clutched Gohan's shoulder tighter instinctively, as if he was preventing him from vanishing, or reassuring himself that his student was still alive. The gesture said it all for Gohan. Piccolo would protect him as long as he had breath in his body to do so.

"That was four years ago," The future Saiyan continued. "With Piccolo gone there were no Dragonballs to revive all those lost."

"You haven't mentioned Goku," Bulma pointed out in a daze.

"Goku never got to fight. Shortly after returning to Earth he caught a heart virus. It killed him."

Gohan turned frightened eyes on his father. "No!" He blurted.

Goku gave him a bright smile. "Its OK Gohan, I've got the antidote now so I'm not going anywhere."

The Time traveller let a small smile spread across his face. "That's the main reason I came back in Time – to give Goku the antidote. Perhaps he can make a difference in the future."

"Phew," Yamcha breathed in relief.

"So what are we dealing with?" Krillen asked. "Two alien out to destroy Earth?"

"No. They're not alien, and it's not just Earth that they're out to destroy; it's anything in their path. They're androids,"

Gohan saw Shin tense up so tight it looked like he was about to have a seizure.

"And they were created here on Earth." The lilac-haired warrior gave Shin a frighteningly intense glare. "By a man named Gero. Dr.Gero."

Gohan gaped. Tien, Chaozu, Yamcha, and Krillen hastily backed away from Shin, with Bulma forcefully pulled back by Yamcha.

Vegeta snarled, and the stranger, Goku, and Piccolo frowned down at the chestnut-haired boy.

"So you're an android planted among us!" Vegeta sneered in anger.

"N-n…n-n-n…" Shin was trembling so badly that he couldn't speak and discredit the claim.

"Wait a darn minute," Bulma came to his rescue. "He's not an android; I've done tests on him. And I've been through this before - yes, Gero made him for evil, but he's anything but! He's about as evil as a butterfly so you can all stop being ridiculous."

"How can you be sure that he's so harmless?" Vegeta challenged her. "That story he fed you might all be lies. He could still be allied with Gero, and he could still be out to kill Kakarot's brat."

"What?!" Goku, Piccolo, and the stranger burst out in angry disbelief. Piccolo's grip tightened even further, until he was almost crushing Gohan's shoulder.

"No he's _not_!" Gohan finally came to his senses. "He wouldn't hurt me!" He twisted violently out of Piccolo's hold and ran over to Shin before anyone could stop him.

He reached for Shin's hand and held on tightly. Shin's fingers linked with his, and Gohan could feel him trembling in absolute fear.

"He's a good person," He growled. "He's not bad." Gohan couldn't hold in his anger, and it showed in the white flare of ki that burned into life around him. A strong wind whipped up and Shin gripped him firmer in fear of being blown away.

Gohan felt his power rise and push at his limits, the way it always did whenever he was fighting to protect those he cared about. He always felt invincible at times like these.

Everyone was staring at him, stunned by his protectiveness of his potential killer.

"I won't allow you to hurt my brother." He said coldly.

His father shifted in surprise. "Brother?" He asked bewildered.

Bulma turned to the Saiyan with a smirk. "Goku, meet Trunks Son, the newest addition to your family."

Goku stared stupidly. Bulma's smirk grew wider.

"Long story short, he biologically your and Chi-Chi's son."

Goku's jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out.

"What?" He said hoarsely. "How?"

Bulma groaned. "Why weren't you here earlier when I explained everything? It would have saved me the trouble of repeating myself."

She took a deep breath.

"OK, Gero made Trunks out of pieces of DNA collected from all of us adults present, and Chi-Chi and this other unknown woman. Then Gero tried to train Trunks how to kill us all, with Gohan in particular, but Trunks ran away from the lab, hid in a cave, where by chance, Gohan found him, and took him home for the night. Next day he came to me and I did tests, discovering his genetics, and so I told Chi-Chi that Trunks is technically her son, and she went and initiated him into the family; thus he is now a member of the Sons'."

Bulma paused to drag some air into her lungs. "Got it?"

Goku scratched his head perplexedly. "Errrr…"

"He's your son, that's all you need to understand." Bulma simplified it for him.

"It doesn't matter," The Time traveller said fiercely. "He's still a creation of Gero. We need to get rid of him _now_, before he destroys the world."

"Wait up, you only said that there were two androids that we needed to face," Krillen pointed out. "Is Trunks one of them?"

"No." The teenager said shortly, sounding miffed at the question, as if it offended him somehow.

"He's not an android," Bulma insisted with her arms folded irritably. "He's all flesh, blood, and bones."

"He's still a threat!" The lilac-haired young man insisted.

"No he's not!" Gohan thought he'd throw in his say since he was being left out of the debate. His white aura swirled faster and warmer.

"Shut up!" Vegeta roared.

Silence fell instantly.

"Why are we bothering with this? That weakling boy is not much of a threat to us by himself. Leave him be for now."

"I knew it!" Bulma crowed, "You do have a soft spot for him!"

"Don't be stupid woman. I'm merely thinking ahead. If he ever does become a powerful enemy, I will enjoy destroying him in battle. It is far less fun to destroy those weaker than you without giving them a chance to try and prove themselves; only to ultimately fail of course."

"Yeah whatever, Mr.Softie," Bulma flapped a dismissive hand at him.

"I say we let those androids come. I can only hope they can put up a decent fight be fore I blast them out of existence. I could do with something to keep me entertained on this mud ball of a planet."

"Weren't you listening?" The stranger said in disbelief. "They're no pushovers. I've been fighting them constantly for years and all they've ever done is toy with me and beat me into the ground. I'm a Super Saiyan and my power is nothing compared to theirs. You're not even a Super Saiyan. You'd be as effective as an ant against an elephant if you fought them now."

Vegeta's nerve was struck and he was grinding his teeth in fury and bruised pride, barely restraining himself from launching himself at the teenager.

"That's another part of the main reason I came back _three_ years before the first attack. It gives you time to train. The stronger you become, the more chance you have. I didn't want to involve any of you in this. If I could deal with it myself I would. If only I knew where Gero's lab is, I could stop the future before it started." He sighed in frustration and ran a hand though his curtain of hair.

Shin suddenly moved his grip to Gohan's arm and shook it urgently to gain his brother's attention.

"What is it Shin?" Gohan asked.

Shin's gaze nervously flicked around the circle of fighters surrounding them and then moved closer to whisper in Gohan's ear.

"I know where the lab is."

Gohan felt his eyes grow as large as saucers, and his ki extinguished as he lost his concentration.

"_What did you say?_" Piccolo asked Shin sharply, having heard what no one else had managed to. His impeccable hearing could become frustrating at times. He was too good at eavesdropping.

"Huh?" Chaozu asked unsurely.

"He knows where the lab is." Piccolo told them; making it very clear who 'he' was because his eyes were zeroed in on Shin, drawing an invisible line in the air to his target.

"Of course!" Bulma perked right up in an instant. "That's where you came from so of course you'd know!"

"You really know?" A look of hope crossed the Time traveller's face, brightening his eyes and giving him a warmth that had so far only been aimed at Gohan.

Shin nodded tentatively.

"Show us."

Shin shook his head and cringed away.

"Why not?!" The teenager exploded.

"I- I don't ever want to go back! Don't make me go, please! Dr.Gero will be mad at me for running away. I don't want to be punished again. He's going to kill me this time! Please don't make me go, please," He broke down into tears and let go of Gohan so he could slide to the ground where he hugged his knees and murmured broken fragments of pleas into his knees. "…don't make me go back…no, no, no, please, no…"

Gohan knelt down next to him and pulled the distraught Saiyan into his arms, just to stop him from having a mental breakdown. Hugs and human contact usually calmed him down. Half-human contact in this case.

He could ease the tears away but it hurt Gohan to witness moments like these that made him realise that he could never heal Shin completely. Gero had broken something inside of him, and it was going to be impossible to restore it to its original condition. Just like the scars on his body, there were permanent marks on the inside as well. They just weren't as visible.

"Its OK, you don't have to go back there,"

"What!" The sword-wielder yelped.

Gohan shot him a silencing glare, which surprisingly worked.

"But it would be a big help if we knew where the lab is. Would you consider showing us if we come with you as protection? You won't see Dr.Gero. You don't even have to go inside the lab. And I'll be right there with you. I promised that I wouldn't let Gero hurt you, remember?"

Shin's wet eyes lifted from the dirt to look up at him in terror. "But if I take him to you, he'll hurt you too!"

"I doubt it," The stranger scoffed. "Gero is a frail old man. Completely harmless, apart from the fact he's insane."

Shin refused to make eye contact with the blue-eyed teenager that had managed to frighten him so much in the past hour, but instead settled his gaze on the young man's jacket sleeve, and the Capsule Corp. logo. "No! He's really, really strong! He's an android too!"

"And android?" The lavender-haired fighter frowned. "That's not right. He's not an android."

"He is!" Shin said adamantly. "He calls himself Android 21."

"In my Time he was never an android," The future warrior stated. "But then again…" He looked down at Shin thoughtfully. "As far as I'm aware, you never existed. Gohan-Sensei would have mentioned having a brother, and my mother would have said something before I travelled here."

"You sure you're in the right place?" Yamcha asked. "You know, like the right dimension or whatever?"

"I'm sure." The Saiyan replied, and then he turned his icy eyes back to Shin. "Do you know if Gero is working on Androids 17 and 18?"

Gohan felt a shiver travel up Shin's spine.

"He hasn't started yet. He's got a boy and girl in stasis waiting for him to begin. He's going to start working on them and Android 16 after he finishes Android 19."

"How many Androids are there?" Krillen asked incredulity.

The lilac-haired teenager balked. "First you, then 21, then 16 and 19? You, 16, and 21 never existed in my Time, and plans for 19 were scrapped. This is all wrong! My trip through Time must have altered the Time stream in a way neither my mother nor I predicted. Many things could have changed, and I might have made things worse. Damn it!"

"We'll just have to adapt, that's all," Goku said brightly.

"I wish I had your optimism," The Teenager replied dully.

"It's easy, just smile, see?" He smiled for example.

"I haven't had much reason to smile in the past four years since Gohan died…"

Gohan swiftly had the instinct to try and make the older boy smile to cheer him up.

Perhaps it was because he knew that his future self had a close bond with the other half-Saiyan and it was rubbing off on him. Perhaps he just didn't like people looking sad.

"But you have me now," He said with a beaming smile aimed at the teenager.

The warrior looked at him in surprise but then a soft smile spread across his features, making him look years younger. "I guess so. Though I'm not staying here long. I only came to warn you. I've got to get back to my own Time. My mother will be worried sick. I've got to go back to show her I'm safe and that this all worked out. And also, the androids might attack at any time."

"But what about the lab? Don't you want to stick around and see how that turns out?" Bulma asked.

"If Gero is indeed an android, we may need the help of another Super Saiyan to defeat him." Tien pointed out.

The Time traveller looked torn. "You're right, but my Time needs me too…" His eyes fixed on Shin calculatingly and he made up his mind. "Fine, I'll stay for a week to see if you need help and to keep an eye on things."

Gohan had a strong belief that the stranger wanted to watch Shin closely for any traces of progressing evilness.

"But I've got nowhere to stay, no money, no belongings, nothing."

"That's fine, you can stay at Capsule Corp. Since you have our logo on your jacket you must be familiar with it." Bulma smiled kindly at him.

"Oh, I'm familiar with it alright," The teenager gave an odd smirk and Gohan saw his father stifling a silly grin. "Thank you…Bulma." He said her name somewhat awkwardly.

"You seem to know our names, but we don't know yours," Yamcha said inquiringly.

The Time traveller looked uneasy. "I can't tell you my name because it would disrupt the futures natural course and create havoc." His eyes landed on Shin. "Unless it's already gone a bit askew." He muttered sullenly.

"We can't keep calling you 'Stranger' or 'That Guy'," Bulma pursed her lips.

"Um…guess not." Krillen agreed. "How about we call you…Fred."

The nameless young man pulled a face. "Er, how about something that suits me a bit more?"

"Mirai."

"What was that Piccolo?" Goku asked.

"Mirai." The Namek repeated.

"Hey, yeah! That's great Piccolo!"

"Hmm. Mirai huh?" The young Saiyan tested it out. "Mirai… Yeah, it fits the whole 'from-the-future' thing. I like it. Mirai it is then." He gave a pleased smirk but it faded quickly to be replaced by his usual serious face.

"As I said, I'm not staying long. Only a week. We need to move in on the lab during that time period." He looked at Shin expectantly.

Gohan nudged Shin gently to urge him on. "Please Shin…"

"O…OK…" His brother agreed very reluctantly.

"But lets not go in right away," Goku chipped in. "I've just got back home. Chi-Chi would kill me if I went off to fight before I've even said hello to her. And I'm sure we all need a few days to prepare, right? I know I do."

"Good idea." Tien nodded.

"In that case, how about everyone stays at my place?" Bulma suggested. "We can all remain close that way. I've got spare rooms, the food, the training grounds, and just about everything else you would need."

"We would appreciate that Bulma, thank you." Chaozu bowed respectfully to her in mid-air, as did Tien. "It saves us from travelling half-way around the world, only to travel back again days later."

"Thanks but no thanks Bulma," Krillen turned down. "I'd feel more comfortable back at Kame's house. Especially if it's my last few days alive before I face off against a bunch of androids."

"And since my stuff is at Kame's House, I'd better head back with Krillen." Yamcha said. ""He also needs a sparring partner, right buddy?"

"You bet!"

"So you don't want to spend your time with me?" Bulma glared at the ex-bandit dangerously. "This could be the last week of your life and you'd rather spend it sparing, instead of being with me? That is so typical!"

"But Bulma-"

"No. I don't want to hear anything you have to say."

Yamcha sighed and backed off.

Vegeta smirked. "Now I know who the strongest of willed is. Who would have thought that the woman was in charge?"

"I'd like to see you go up against her," Yamcha grumbled.

Gohan knew what Yamcha was talking about. Bulma was downright scary when mad. Just like his mother. His father was the strongest person he had ever known, yet even he cowered under her fury. It was no laughing matter. Vegeta didn't have a clue about the scary side of Bulma Briefs.

"I think I'd best be getting home," Goku spoke to break the tension. He walked over to Gohan and Shin and crouched down to their level as he smiled warmly. "And I'm taking these two with me. I've got one son to catch up with," His onyx eyes sparkled at Gohan before switching to Shin. "And one I've got to get to know from the beginning."

He held out his hands, one for each to take.

Gohan grinned joyfully as he accepted his father's hand. Shin bashfully did the same, and they were both pulled effortlessly to their feet as their father stood up.

"How are we getting home Daddy?"

Goku looked off to the distance. "Well you sure can't ride Icarus. He looks grounded for a while."

Gohan and Shin whipped around in guilt. They had forgotten about the small exhausted dragon, lying on the floor in the distance.

"What are we going to do? Icarus can't fly, and neither can Shin so how are we going to get home?"

"No problem, I can use instant transmission to get us all back in flash. Its amazing what you can do when you own the ability to travel faster than the speed of light."

"Wow, how can you do that?" Krillen asked. "And since _when_ have you been able to do that?"

"I learnt the technique from some really nice aliens on the planet Yardrat. They let me stay there for a while. I think they were impressed that I could eat as much as they could. That's where I got this cool outfit from!" He plucked at his collar proudly.

"You look like a buffoon." Vegeta snorted.

"You're just jealous" Goku childishly stuck his tongue out at the Prince. Shin giggled nervously, fearing for Goku's well-being. Poking fun at Vegeta was not good for your health.

Yet Vegeta didn't retaliate. He just scowled more fiercely, visibly containing his rising level of irritation.

Gohan took a look at the position of the sun high in the sky over the desert mountains and felt a lurch of dread and guilt.

"Daddy; Shin and I have to get home real quick. Mommy doesn't know where we are. She'll be worried, and angry because we didn't ask permission to leave our studying."

His father paled. "Oh gosh, we'd better leave right now then!" He lifted his fingers to his mouth and used them to give a shrill whistle.

Icarus answered the call with a yip and staggered over to the group, his wings dragging in the dirt limply, muscles spent completely beyond further use.

Gohan moved to hug his animal friend to show his appreciation for travelling so far to see him. Shin joined the fold and said his thanks once again to the small dragon.

Icarus made sounds of contentment as he enjoyed the attention and extra petting.

"Now all hold onto each other and me tightly," their father advised firmly.

Gohan and Shin held onto one of Icarus' horns each and buried their fingers into the strange material of Goku's pant legs.

Goku grinned over at the remaining group of warriors and Bulma. "I'll call when we're ready for action."

The older Son member started to raise two fingers to his forehead with a look of concentration on his face, but Piccolo spoke, causing him to pause.

"Gohan, I'll be close by," The Namek told him reassuringly, even as his eyes flickered over Shin warily. The underlying message was that he was going to be keeping an eye on Shin for a while to make sure he wasn't a threat.

Gohan nodded at him tightly, unhappy about his mentor's lack of trust in his younger brother.

"And off we go!" Goku pressed his fingers to his forehead and Gohan felt an odd sensation tingle through him. One moment he was in the desert mountains, then he was standing on the grass outside his home, by the washing line.

He blinked hard, but the image of his house didn't change.

He heard a slight groan to his side and he looked over to Shin clutching his stomach queasily.

Strange, Gohan felt fine after the trip. Perhaps Shin suffered from travel sickness.

"You OK little guy?" Goku asked as he moved his hand to pat Shin on the shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll wear off soon. It's a side effect for some people. Sorry about that."

"I- I'm fine…" Shin gave a weak reply, trying his best to regain his shaky balance.

Goku ruffled Shin's chestnut bangs good naturedly.

"Are you OK Icarus?" Gohan asked the purple dragon. Icarus yipped and gave the side of Gohan's face a slobbery lick, then did the same to Shin and affectionately head-butted Goku's legs before tottering off into the forest, his tail swinging behind him happily.

The two brothers wiped away the dragon saliva, and grimaced in growing dread as they looked toward the house, knowing that they couldn't put off their return any longer.

They began their death march towards the front door. Their father trailed behind at a safer distance.

Gohan pushed open the wooden door with a discordant squeak – only to freeze in the frosty glare being directly aimed at him, readily prepared to fire sharp deadly icicles.

His mother was sitting at the kitchen table, with her chair angled to face the front door, and her nails drumming angrily on the wooden surface as she scowled with endless patience at the doorway.

"Gohan Son," She began dangerously. "Where have you been? Where is your brother?"

Shin gulped and stepped up next to him looking scared stiff.

Gohan waited for the explosion, and it came with force.

"Where have you both been for the past few hours?! Do you have any idea how worried I've been the entire time?!" Her face was turning a deeper furious red as her rant went on. "You didn't tell me you were leaving! Not even a note! I never raised you to be like that Gohan! It's your Father's influence! If he were only here right now I'd-"

"Kiss him?" Goku supplied hopefully as he stepped into her line of sight.

Chi-Chi suspended, mouth open, mid-shout, a few stray strands of flyaway hair in her face. The angry blood bled from her cheeks, causing her skin to turn from red to white in an instant.

"Goku?" She asked breathlessly. "Is it really you?"

Goku smiled goofily and nodded. "You bet."

Gohan and Shin hastily sidestepped out of the way to let their mother run out of the door to embrace their father.

The two adults twirled in a circle, pressed flush against each other, before Goku swooped down to fiercely press his mouth against his wife's.

Gohan watched and wrinkled his nose in disgust as he let out a drawn-out "Ewwwww…"

He never understood why grown-ups enjoyed kissing. It was basically the exchange of saliva. How was that romantic? It was nauseating.

His parents broke apart at his exclamation and looked down at him and his brother in surprise, as if they had forgotten they had an audience.

Their mother flushed with embarrassment and turned to them, straightening the front of her dress and brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"I am very disappointed in the pair of you for running off without giving me warning. As punishment, both of you are confined to your bedroom for the rest of the day, with no dinner or supper. Now go. Don't come out, no matter what. Got it?"

Gohan heard the direct order in her voice, leaving no chance for bargaining or argument.

Stroppily, he stomped his way into the house and to his room. Shin followed looking extremely upset at being scolded, and slightly nervous about talking to Gohan while he was wearing an unhappy frown.

Gohan slammed his bedroom door shut after Shin had followed him in, then he flopped face first down on the bed.

"I go off to save the planet and get punished for it? Not fair." He griped to his brother.

Shin sat timidly on the edge of the desk chair, not sure if he was meant to say something consoling.

There was the sound of a dull thump from somewhere in the house, obviously made by his parents as they had their 'alone time'.

Gohan groaned and pulled a pillow over his head.

"Gohan…" Shin spoke up in a strangely squeaky voice. "What do we do if we need the bathroom?"

Gohan shifted to look at him from under the corner of his pillow. "I don't know. I didn't think of that. And I bet Mother didn't either.

Shin's face crumpled. It was only then did Gohan notice how Shin's legs were crossed tightly, and how he was squirming uncomfortably on the chair.

"Gohan, I _really_ need to go!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me.

Don't be mad! I'm sorry! I keep saying chapters will come faster, but life keeps getting in the way. I've had this chapter for a month or two now, but for some reason, i could _not _force myself to sit down and type it up. But i was inspired today, and lazy enough to sit at my computer for hours straight, so here's chapter 8.

The reviews for the last chapter made me happy, so thank you. Glad you liked that last bit, cuz i did too. Is that too conceited? Oh well.

But for the last time people, there will be another **4 chapters till the GW universe**. Just trust me on this one, this is all going somewhere. Everything i write has a meaning and future purpose.

In this chapter, look out for some of the beginnings of Duo's future personality and the drive behind it. - PPF

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**Chapter 8**

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Shin sat on a warm flat rock that jutted out over the large crystalline lake spreading far out in front of him, despondently staring into the water at his reflection, deeply immersed in thought

The past four days had been a whirlwind of fun. He'd never been so happy.

He had a family. A very nice family, including 7 fathers, 3 grandparents, 2 mothers, a brother, and a pet dragon.

He couldn't have asked for more.

Well…it would have been extra nice if Vegeta and Piccolo weren't so horrible to him. Vegeta refused to acknowledge his existence, and Piccolo just scowled at him distrustfully. Mirai wasn't family but he acted the same as Piccolo.

It hurt, but Shin could cope. He had other family members that seemed to like him. He had spent time getting to know them.

One day was spent on a little island in the middle of the ocean, with Krillen and Yamcha. Gohan and Goku had come along with him because he was still far too scared to be in the presence of strangers without a reassuring safe presence of a familiar face by his side.

But Shin had found out quickly that the island inhabitants were safe to trust.

There was an old man named Roshi who owned the island and house. He was very strange and Shin wasn't sure what to make of him, but he didn't appear threatening so Shin left him to his strange fascination with the energetic women on the television and in those odd books and magazines.

Oolong, the talking pig, was very much like Roshi, except that he made Shin laugh with his sarcastic, cynical manner. And he could transform, just like Paaur.

Shin really liked Paaur, but he still couldn't guess if the furry creature was a boy or a girl. He thought that it would be too rude to ask.

The two transforming animals had entertained him for brief periods of time as they changed into whatever was up for request. Gohan, Goku, Krillen, and Yamcha had played along in that game. Paaur was much better at it than Oolong which made the pig throw a strop.

The group of family had spent occupied most of the day playing in the ocean, which was the most fun Shin had ever had.

He had been fascinated and terrified by the vast expanse of water when he had first arrived, via his father's instant teleportation, on the island.

His four fathers' and brother had gently coaxed him into the warm salty water, where he played for hours straight, along with his family; with Paaur acting as various floatation devices ranging from a rubber ring to a small boat. Even the large, old, and friendly sea turtle, who swam in the shallow waters, let Shin ride atop his shell through the waves.

He had played until his skin was tinged pink thanks to the midday sun's scorching rays magnified by the refracting water surface, and the day coming to a close.

Krillen and Yamcha really seemed to like him and that filled Shin with the same warmth that he felt around Gohan, Chi-Chi, Goku, and Bulma. Their acceptance made him happy.

The pair of older fighters had even nicknamed him because they couldn't decide whether to call him Shin or Trunks.

Goku had reassured him that 'Little Dude' was not offensive, but in fact affectionate.

That was a good thing, right?

On another day, during study break, Gohan had dragged Shin into the forest where they had met Piccolo.

That encounter had not gone so well, leaving Shin shaken and Gohan upset. The tall green Namek had just scowled at Shin the entire time. He had only talked to Gohan shortly, and then told them both to leave him to meditate in peace.

Just as Shin turned to go, Piccolo's rumbling voice had echoed clearly in his head, :_I'm watching you.:_

Piccolo scared him badly. Shin didn't like him, and that made Gohan even more upset since his brother and friend didn't get along.

Just yesterday, he had spent the day at Capsule Corp, getting to know Tien and Chaozu.

They weren't as laid back and fun as Krillen and Yamcha, but Shin had still had a great time.

Chaozu played with him using his psychic powers, making objects float around. At one point Chaozu focused his power on Shin and, and Shin had been surrounded by a glowing blue haze before being lifted completely off the ground, and given a chance to experience the joy of unrestricted flight.

It was an amazingly thrilling ride, and Shin now wondered how everyone that could fly thought of the skill as an everyday thing. Shin couldn't wait to learn how to fly. He knew that he would never get tired of it, he was certain. Flying was in his blood.

Tien had patiently guided Shin through the form of a defensive stance, stating that clearly that 'defence comes before offence.'

Shin had been eager to learn, so one day he could fight like the rest of his family; but it took a lot of time and some trial and error before he finally achieved success.

Throughout the day, Bulma had persistently tried to force Shin and Vegeta together, but all of her efforts were rebuffed by the Prince who refused to acknowledge Shin's existence.

The refusal stung, just as Piccolo's did.

And then there was Mirai.

The teenager didn't do anything but act frosty towards him. He was barely civil, and it took a rebuke from Bulma before Mirai backed down somewhat, and tried to be neutral to the situation.

Shin often caught Mirai just staring at him for long periods of time with different odd expressions on his face, as if trying to figure him out.

Towards the end, Mirai was cautiously engaging him in short conversation, as if it wasn't such an intolerable thing anymore to him. Shin was still very wary of him though.

Under Gohan's influence and Bulma's watchful eye, they accepted each other's presence. Mirai wasn't actually such an intimidating person without his sword. And from the way he acted towards everyone else, he was nicer than first perceived.

Shin had managed to steal an abrupt laugh from the uptight teenager, completely by accident, when he'd made an idiot out of himself by getting his sticky lollipop stuck in his hair, which then Bulma had been forced to cut out with a pair of scissors.

That incident had made everyone laugh; except Vegeta, who was off somewhere, avoiding him.

The past four days were the happiest of his life, yet it had all come crashing down around him yesterday evening, when all of the adult fighters had talked and come to the agreement to move in on Gero's lab the day after next.

That was now tomorrow.

So here he was at the lake edge, feeling disturbed by the dark premonitions in his head.

He's snuck away while Goku and Gohan were locked in a playful spar, and Chi-Chi was peeling potatoes in the kitchen.

He had needed to get away so he had come to the lake where they had all fished. It was nice here.

But right now he barely noticed. He was scared senseless. He didn't want to go back to the lab.

The others didn't know the pain he had endured there. If he had stayed with Gero any longer, he would have been driven to insanity.

And his family wanted him to go back?

Gero would kill him. And his family.

They didn't know how strong Android 20 was, and honestly, neither did Shin since Gero gave off no ki signature, but he did know that the Doctor was powerful and deadly ruthless.

So many horrifying scenarios flashed before his eyes and he found himself wishing tomorrow would never come. He'd only felt this afraid when he was living in the lab under Gero's tyranny, and he felt the same paralysing hopelessness beginning to creep back.

Yet if he was being relied on for the outcome of the planet's future, then he would _have_ to face his fears. No matter how much he didn't want to.

"Why the glum face?" A voice asked from behind.

Shin spun his head to see Goku standing at the base of his rock, smiling softly.

Shin opened his mouth to reply when he realised that he didn't know what to say, so he snapped his jaw shut again and turned back to stare down into the water, wishing to be left alone.

"You OK, little fella?"

Shin nodded wordlessly.

"You don't look it," Goku stepped out onto the rock. "Budge up." He prodded Shin to move over to let him sit down next to him on the ledge. The adult Saiyan made himself comfortable and looked down at Shin expectantly.

"Come on, tell me what's wrong."

Shin glanced up at him reluctantly. "I…" He couldn't say anything. His head was a jumbled mess of thoughts. So many things were wrong, where was he to start?

"Hm, let me guess. You're worried about tomorrow?" His father guessed correctly. "About going to the lab?"

Shin lowered his head again shamefully. "Yes."

"Don't worry, everything will turn out fine, you'll see." Goku smiled brightly.

Shin's eyes narrowed as he frowned. "How do you know that?"

"I don't. But you make things harder for yourself if you think negatively. Being optimistic is what keeps your spirits high, and it stops you from giving up before you've even begun to face the problem."

Shin blinked up at his father. "Is that why you're so happy all the time?"

Goku chuckled. "Naw, I'm truly happy most of the time. That's just the way I am. But sometimes I have to be happy so other people are happy too. Do you know what the one thing is that cheers people up?"

Chestnut locks waved as Shin shook his head.

"A smile." Goku smiled down at him in example. "A sincere smile can brighten anyone's spirit." Goku gave a wry grin. "Well, perhaps not Vegeta, he's too cranky."

Shin giggled and swished his tail around in his lap.

"That's another thing. Laughter. Laughter is even better than a simple smile. It's contagious. It makes everyone smile and join in. If you can make someone laugh, then it makes everyone's troubles go away and they become happy again. Even if it's just for a moment, it's worth it."

Shin gazed at his father in wonder. Was it really that simple?

He analysed his own feelings and was shocked to find that the darkness in his thoughts had lulled. Here he was, smiling and laughing, while moments ago he was sinking in despair.

It had worked. The advice was solid.

"Wow," He murmured in amazement.

"Yep, it works," Goku beamed, and Shin found himself automatically beaming in return.

"You can't do much about Vegeta, he'll come around eventually, but you should keep trying to get to know Piccolo. He has a soft spot for Gohan so I'm sure he'll make room for you rather than loose his first friend. And why wouldn't he like you anyway? You're very likeable. Try smiling some more. You never know, it might work with him."

Shin couldn't help giggling again.

Goku wrapped an arm around Shin's shoulders to draw him close into a one-armed hug. "Feelin' better little guy?"

He smiled thankfully up at his father. "Yeah."

"Good. My job is done."

They sat together in comfortable companionship for a few minutes as they looked down into the sparkling water, watching the flashes of tiny silver fish dart in circles under their dangling feet.

Goku stretched lazily, bringing the still moment to an end.

"I'd best head back to the house and help Gohan and you're mother finish peeling the potatoes. I sort of abandoned them to come and look for you, heh."

He stood and jumped down off the rock, then turned back to face Shin. "Why don't you come back when you feel up to it. Your mother will be starting Lunch soon though, so you'll have to be back in the next hour, OK?"

Shin nodded in thankful understanding.

"Remember Shin, as long as you make the most of everything in life and keep smiling even through the hardest of times, then life's problems are made bearable."

Then Goku was gone in an instant.

Shin seared those words into his soul and thoughtfully wringed his tail between his hands.

So his father's strength was to make others happy?

_Could I be as strong as him? Can I make people happy too? _

Shin gave a small experimental smile to see if he could act happy. He gave a few faltering attempts before he dropped it, feeling self-conscious that he was smiling stupidly at thin air.

He needed someone to practice on. But who?

Goku always smiled, Chi-Chi was busy with lunch, and Gohan would probably think Shin was being silly.

Everyone else was too far away and he had to head home within an hour.

But wait. There was one person close by. One person who didn't smile often, and laughed even less.

Piccolo was the perfect test subject.

And didn't his father say it was possible it might work?

That solved it. He was going to visit Piccolo, right now, before lunch.

He hopped off his rock and gleefully ran towards the dense forest.

It took fifteen minutes to work his way through the thick foliage, following what he vaguely recognised as Piccolo's ki.

He slowed to a stop and crouched down to peer through the ferns into the waterfall clearing.

Piccolo sat in a lotus position at the water's edge, by the rock pool, his back to Shin.

Shin gathering his courage to step out and announce his presence but was stopped short as Piccolo spoke out, loud and clear.

"Nice try, Goku, but you can't sneak up on me."

Shin was only allowed a brief flash of confusion before his vision was swallowed by golden light and searing hot pain ripped a scream from his throat. Then he knew no more.

* * *

Piccolo had been deep in mediation when he felt something faint tickle his senses.

His eyes snapped open but he purposely kept still to continue the illusion of ignorance.

Someone was approaching. The ki level was low, yet unmistakable.

Goku. He must have been suppressing his power.

Piccolo sightlessly followed the moving ki and held back a smirk as it settled on the edge of the clearing. The thunder of water prevented Piccolo's immensely sharp hearing from picking up anything. He was using his sixth sense alone.

The ki shifted and Piccolo decided that it was time to drop his charade.

"Nice try, Goku, but you can't sneak up on me."

Without looking back he twisted his arm to fire off a golden ki ball in an attempt to flush Goku out of hiding. A blast that low in energy wouldn't even make the Saiyan flinch. It was harmless really.

His smug smirk was wiped from his face as he heard an agonised short scream that sounded nothing like Goku.

It sounded more like Gohan.

Piccolo was on his feet in a flash and he urgently strode over to the impact sight.

If he had hurt Gohan, he'd never forgive himself.

The green fern plants that had previously lined the clearing were now smouldering piles of ash on the charcoal-blackened grass. Trees were scorched up the bark and the smell of wood-smoke filled the air. The damage was minimal however, and nature would heal itself in time.

But nature couldn't heal the small broken figure lying in a slumped position up against a tree trunk.

Piccolo quickly took in the boy's condition.

He was breathing. Ragged, strained breaths, yet he was still alive. But Piccolo didn't know for how much longer.

His pale skin was blistered with burns all up his arms and across his chest where the t-shirt had burnt away. Blood just about covered everywhere else, the flow coming from varying sized cuts decorating his entire body randomly, no doubt having been made by debris such as sticks and sharp stones lifted in the explosion.

The most serious amount of blood was trickling down his lax face from a bad head wound that matted his hair to his skull.

It was visible that his arms and legs were fractured and broken by the strange angle they lay at.

The blast must have thrown the boy through the air, where he had solidly hit the tree, with enough impact to break bones, and then slid down to lay at its base, knocked out cold.

Piccolo didn't know what to do. He didn't want to move the kid because it could very well kill him, but he couldn't just leave him there.

He had no idea how he was going to fix this. There were no sensu beans available right now, and Piccolo was sure a human hospital wouldn't be good enough to save this child's life.

Piccolo needed help.

_:Goku!: _He shouted mentally, hoping that the adult Saiyan would hear him.

There was a shift in the air and suddenly Goku was standing behind him, lowering his fingers from his forehead.

"What's wrong, Piccolo?" The black-haired man questioned seriously, having heard the urgency in Piccolo's call for assistance.

"Help me," He growled and crouched down next to the boy.

Goku stepped closer. "Wha- Shin!" The Saiyan was suddenly pushing him aside to get to the boy. "Shin, come on Shin, no, no, no, wake up…"

Goku whirled on Piccolo, and the Namek was surprised at the ferocious look on his face.

"What did you do?!"

"It was an accident." Piccolo replied calmly, trying to sooth the father's anger. "There's no time to point fingers, he needs medical care. It's unsafe to move him much, so I called for you. You can use that new technique of yours to move him any distance without causing further injury."

Goku's lips pressed together in a tight line. "I'll take him up to Korin's Tower to get a sensu bean."

"There aren't any." Piccolo informed him.

"Then what the hell am I meant to do?!" Goku uncharacteristically swore in explosive anger.

"I was hoping that you might have an idea," Piccolo frowned.

Goku turned in wild panic and pressed a glowing hand to the boy's chest, infusing ki into the small heart. Until that point, Piccolo had failed to notice the kid's life force rapidly dwindling away until Goku had boosted it back up to a stable level.

"Think, think, think…" Goku mumbled to himself as he scrubbed the back of his hand across his eyes in a quick fustrated movement.

"Bulma." He said decidedly, then ever so gently snaked one arm between the tree and the boy's neck to give him support. He pressed his fingers to his forehead and frowned in concentration.

His visibly fumbled for a few long seconds, but then the pair of them where gone, and Piccolo was left alone at the edge of the clearing.

"Damn," Was all Piccolo could think of sighing to himself in frustration.

_I'd best go inform Gohan and that Banshee woman._

He took one last pained look at the smears of blood down the tree trunk, before taking off into the sky and over the forest in the direction of the Son house.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:**I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me.

No! Don't poke me, I bruise easily! Well…I have no real excuse. I lost the written pages for this chapter, and since i'm lazy (and the fact I was so annoyed after putting so much effort into it in the first place) i didn't even try to re-write it. I just waited for it to turn up. And it did…five months later. And then I couldn't be bothered to type it up. Until now.

So it's finished, after a typing spree. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit disjointed. The thoughts jump around a bit, but that is the way my mind works.

This is meant to be an introspective piece for Piccolo and Mirai. I know I've built them up as Shin-haters, but this is the turning point for them. And good news! I've condensed my written chapters so I've only got **one** more typed chapter to post before we are moving into the Gundam universe! The bit you've been waiting for. Finally.

**000000**

**Chapter 9**

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Trunks Briefs (aka Mirai) was walking randomly around Capsule Corporation home grounds trying to spot the similarities and differences between his present home and this past version of it. Obviously things were much more well-kept in this Time.

A future controlled by evil androids didn't leave much room for cleaning and general house-keep.

For the first time he was able to explore rooms and corridors that he had not been able to enter before due to instability and collapse.

There had never been any man-power for a bit of rebuilding either, sadly.

He had just turned an unfamiliar corner in the long corridor when he heard a high pitched shriek.

"Goku!! What do you think you're- TRUNKS!"

Trunks Briefs automatically responded to the horrified call of his mother, and ran towards her ki signature at blurring speed.

He burst through a door, his last obstacle, and choked on his own spit as he saw his own mother just finish hurriedly wrapping a towel around her shower-wet body, half out of the shower stall, her hair in dripping wet ringlets.

Trunks blushed to his roots, but his embarrassment was gone in the next second as he registered the look on her face.

She wasn't even paying attention to him and her movements were panicked.

Trunks then noticed that they were not alone in the luxury bathroom.

Goku was kneeling on the floor, looking at Bulma with pleading desperation. Using one arm, he was supporting another smaller figure in a reclining position on the white tiles, which were now streaked with smears of bright contrasting blood.

"Trunks! Oh God, Goku, what happened?!" Bulma cried out as she fell to her knees to inspect the small figure closely.

It was then that Trunks realised that his mother wasn't calling out for him, but for her other son.

He felt a surge of hurt and jealousy but he squelched it down. Now was not the time. The kid was dying; he could sense it and clearly see it.

Trunks recognised those types of injuries. He'd viewed enough of them on the bodies of the dead or dying, left behind in the devastation of an android attack. That boy had been hit with an energy blast. Not powerful enough to hurt a Saiyan, but enough to kill a human. The boy might have been a Saiyan by blood, but he was weaker than a human boy should be at his age.

The kid was lucky to be alive. Or maybe not so lucky.

He'd be scarred for life by those burns if he didn't get a sensu bean in him soon – and from what Trunks had heard, there weren't any.

"Piccolo did it," Goku babbled distractively, "Can you help him?"

Bulma hesitated as she looked at the boys vast injuries with wide panicked eyes. "I- I don't-" Her face tightened in determination. "Yes. We need to get to the lab, quick."

"Go, I'll catch up," Goku said tensely.

Bulma darted out of the bathroom, leaving water droplets in her wake.

Trunks moved closer and stooped down at the boy's side.

With all of the injuries he had, and the black grime and blood painting his skin, Trunks hardly recognised the boy.

His hair was dyed crimson and matted with clotting blood, and his clothes scorched and in tatters.

Trunks could only identify him by his ki signature, and the limp brown tail that had flakes of ash caught in the fur.

"Piccolo did this?" Trunks asked grimly.

"He said it was an accident." Goku re-affirmed, but it came out as uncertain. "I wasn't there, I didn't see."

And by the look on the adults face, the fact that he hadn't been there was eating him up inside, but nothing Trunks could say would change that.

There was a silent pause, but then Goku muttered, "She's there," and quickly placed his fingers to his forehead.

Trunks didn't want to be left behind so he reached for a hold on the boy's body. The only undamaged place to hold in the end was his tail.

The scenery changed abruptly and his eyes ached as his vision tried to adjust to the blinding white walls of the medical lab.

"Mirai, help me with this," Bulma ordered as she tried to drag a heavy looking cable across the room.

Trunks didn't register his new alias for a second, but then it clicked, and he moved into action.

Bulma handed over the cable. "Plug this into that tank over there," She pointed at the strange machine that looked like a vertical tank, big enough for a person to stand in. "The connection is on the left side. Make certain that the plug is secure."

Trunks did as he was told as Bulma typed away at her computer keyboard frantically. The glass front lifted open like a hatch.

"OK, life support is online. Goku place Shin inside. He needs to be standing upright so you need to place him in the harness."

Goku didn't hesitate to follow the order, and he ever so carefully, lifted the fragile young boy into his arms and used a small amount of ki to lift himself off the ground and float over to the tank, in an attempt to reduce the chance of jarring his passenger.

The blood-stained boy was placed inside as directed, and an oxygen mask slipped over his face.

"Stand back," Bulma warned.

Goku gave a last touch with the tips of his fingers down the curve of the boy's pale cheek and then stepped back with a look of despair on his face.

The glass hatch lowered, locking the small half-Saiyan inside. There was a 'whoosh' sound and a blue translucent viscous substance started to fill up the tank, submerging the boy, who floated lazily, not aware of his surroundings.

Bulma tapped a few more buttons.

A pulse of light lit up the insides of the tank for a split second before fading.

Bulma turned to the main computer screen as information scrolled down it.

A small scaled outline of the boy's body appeared, showing his bone structure, like an x-ray.

The multiple breaks in his bones were clearly visible.

The most devastating were the cracks spidering out across the back of his skull, and the clear break in one of the vertebrae of his neck, where his head met his shoulders.

Bulma's hands flew to her mouth to muffle a cry as red patches of light throbbed on the diagram, covering portions of the body – pinpointing the main organs.

"What does that mean?" Goku looked to Bulma for desperate answers.

Trunks' mother turned shimmering eyes towards them.

"The red indicates the points of extreme distress in the body caused by the trauma. Specifically internal bleeding, and failing organs."

Trunks bit the inside of his cheek. The kid was as much of a mess on the inside as he was on the outside. But it was the damage on the inside that was going to kill him.

"I- I'm not sure if we can save him, Bulma admitted. "I didn't design this machine to heal such extensive injuries."

"What is it?" Trunks asked, his curiosity as the son of a scientist finally getting the better of him.

"A healing tank," She leant heavily against the edge of the computer panel as she restlessly twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Designed for Saiyans."

Trunks' interest peaked more.

"I originally built it for Vegeta. He's always pushing his body too hard when he trains, and he just complains about Earth's useless treatments. So I got him to explain other alien technology and the basic principle of how it works."

She looked to Goku. "Vegeta mentioned that you healed in something similar to what I've made here, whilst you were on Namek."

Goku nodded vaguely as his eyes watched his son float in the strange machine.

"That's where I got the idea," Bulma continued. "But mine is just for Saiyans. The fluid holds a combination of minerals that all Saiyans seem to have in their body that helps them heal faster than an average human. I discovered that if you increase the concentration, the faster cell regeneration becomes. Even better, it's absorbable through the pores in the skin. But Trunks-" Trunks flinched at the misdirection of his name, "-is only half-Saiyan. I don't know how this will affect the results. I never got as far as testing the substance on damaged human cells. In fact I don't know if this contraption works in practice yet, Vegeta wouldn't let me test it on him."

"What?!" Goku looked stricken.

"Calm down, Goku," Bulma soothed. "I'm pretty sure it works just fine. Besides, it's his only hope. There's nothing else I can do for him."

She sighed heavily, her eyes pinched with worry as she stared at the injured boy, watching as bubbles streamed from the mask over his face; the only sign that he was alive and breathing to all outward appearance.

"The only thing we can do now is watch and wait. I have no idea how long this could take. Could be hours, could be days, I really don't know."

"I'm staying right here," Goku said firmly, as he planted himself stubbornly right before the tank, as if claiming that spot as his.

Bulma ran a hand through her wet blue locks and grimaced as she looked down at her attire. "Goku, I'll be back in a moment, I need to put some clothes on. Do that Instant Trans-thingy if you urgently need me." She announced as she walked to the lab doors in nothing but her towel.

Trunks blushed again.

Bulma grinned coyly at him, "Aw, you're cute when you blush," and then she left.

Trunks felt like his head would implode. She was his mother for gods sake!

Her flirting with him- albeit unknowing that he was her son- was wrong on so many levels.

Trunks batted away his embarrassment aside and moved to stand next to Goku, to stare at the injured boy.

His skin was pale, and his face was lax. He looked so vulnerable at this moment in time. Like a real boy would in the same situation, and not like a killer android.

Then again, he had never looked like a killer android.

Back in the mountains where he had first met the boy, Trunks hadn't suspected anything unusual about him until the tail had made an appearance, and then it just went downhill from there.

His pride stopped himself from feeling too guilty about attacking to kill so hastily.

But he'd felt the uncomfortable niggle of doubt when he'd seen the chestnut-haired boy in a fit of frightened sobs.

He couldn't imagine Androids 17 and 18 shedding a single tear or cowering in fear. They were emotionally unmovable; yet the boy was nothing but a tumble of emotions.

He was so…human.

Trunks hated that idea. It meant that he had attacked an innocent and defenceless child.

He'd been the bad guy for once in his life, and he didn't like it.

He had always prided himself as being a good person, back in his Time. He tried to save people. He was their protector, just as Gohan had taught him to be.

Yet here, in this past Time, everyone had been against him in that single moment where he had let his anger get the better of him.

Like father, like son. Vegeta was painfully prideful, arrogant, and downright rude. Trunks didn't want to be like him in the slightest.

He now realised that his mentor, Gohan, had held back when talking to him about his father, skimming over his bad traits, by not going into depth about the extent of them. As a child without a father, Trunks had only wanted to hear the positive bits about him (which his imagination had blown out of proportion on a grand scale) but now he was able to form his own judgement.

He felt betrayed. His father failed to meet the high bar of expectation that Trunks had formed in his mind over the years.

His Mother had warned him that Vegeta had many faults, but Trunks had just blanked her, wanting to hold on tightly to the fantasy-father he had conjured a picture of.

And to make the blow even harder, he had under estimated Goku.

Gohan and his mother had always smiled with sad fondness whenever they spoke about the deceased man.

Trunks hadn't honestly believed that a person could be so good, caring, and powerful all at once. He had been sure his mother was over-exaggerating. As it turned out, she hadn't. He'd seen the real Goku for himself, and if anything, she had under-compensated.

Trunks was beginning to wish that the man was _his_ father.

He was envious of what Gohan had. And even more so of the kid android who had shamelessly taken up a place in the Son family.

It was like a kick in the teeth to see. It was as if he was being teased with what might have been if he was born to a different family.

With Goku as his father, and Gohan as his brother, Trunks Son had everything.

Shame it wasn't the right Trunks.

Trunks hadn't met the Chi-Chi of this Time yet, but he did remember her vaguely from when they'd met in the Past, before she died.

She was such a kind woman, willing to put other people's needs before her own all the time, but you could see her fragile spirit fading away before your eyes. After Gohan died, she died on the inside, and it didn't take long for her body to follow.

Trunks banished the memories of that dark time, and musefully gazed at the boy known as Trunks Son.

The Time Line had been irreparably changed. The boy had stolen his name and place as Bulma Briefs' son, as well as being a Son family member. It wasn't fair.

Would he even be born anymore? If he was, his name wouldn't be Trunks…

It was a terrible feeling to know that you had effectively wiped yourself from existence. It was like watching from a second point of view as you committed suicide.

Unless…

Unless, Trunks used a bit of stealth, and pulled the life support plug without anyone noticing.

If this version of Trunks died…then perhaps…in Bulma's grief she would name her second son Trunks, in the first's honour?

Trunks seriously considered it for a long moment, planning it all out in his head.

But then his thoughts fell flat and dead as his conscience flared into life.

_What am I thinking?!_ Trunks physically stiffened in horror, brow furrowed in disgust at himself.

Was he really so shallow to go as far as murder for the selfish ownership of a name?

What sort of monster had he become since arriving in this Time? What would his mother and Gohan think of him?

Trunks reeled in his self-centred feelings and dispelled them fiercely from his heart and mind.

No more. He wouldn't let the dark bitterness of his soul creep forward ever again.

He had to let go of his unfounded hate. Well, it was unfounded so far.

If he stood back and observed without any bias, then the kid appeared to be just that; a kid.

And a nice one at that. He was really quiet and timid, but under that he was bright and inquisitive. He seemed so innocent and he defined the word cute.

He hadn't given any hint that he might have evil intentions and Trunks was finally willing to believe that he was nothing like 17 and 18.

It was debatable how things might change in the near future, but for now, Trunks was going to place his confidence in the kid.

That was, if he survived.

It made his gut clench with guilt to just be standing around and doing nothing while he was dying. They had his life in their hands and they were playing with it by placing him in an untested machine as if he was a lab rat.

And Trunks didn't want that.

If the boy's reaction to the mention of Gero and the lab was anything to go by, then he hadn't had a pleasant time there. He'd also seen Bulma's medical reports.

No child deserved to be starved, sleep deprived, or beaten and cut to the extent of torture.

Trunks had no real idea as to what the kid's mental state was, but he'd seen his heart-clenching fear when the demand to go to the lab had been made.

Trunks felt the same warmth of excitement and relief whenever he thought about the lab and the fact that he could end everything before it even started. He could save everything his mother and Gohan had lost. And Trunks could save the one important thing he had lost; Gohan.

And it was all thanks to this unknown factor he'd come across, in the form of a chestnut-haired, cobalt-eyed boy.

But…

The cold dread came sweeping back through his body like a blizzard as he realised, if the kid died, there wasn't so much of a happy ending in sight.

Only he knew where the lab was. Only he could show them. If he died he'd take the labs location to the grave with him.

And if that happened, events would play out almost exactly the same way as in his Time. It was a game of chance in saving Goku's life. He honestly didn't know whether the man could make a big enough difference. There was a high possibility that he would die futilely along with the rest of them.

Even with the early warning and chance to prepare, it was too much to hope that no one would die.

The androids were too strong.

Trunks would have to jump into the further future, three years from now, so he could assist them in battle.

It might even it up a bit more if there were _two_ Super Saiyans standing up against those monsters.

His Gohan would have won long ago if only there was just one android. Whenever he achieved the upper hand over one, the other was there to beat him down into the dirt.

It was ironic that Gohan's death had been the thing to trigger Trunks' transformation into a Super Saiyan, after trying so hard for so long.

The arrival of another Super Saiyan coinciding with the departure of the first; leaving the situation exactly the same as before.

One Super Saiyan against two androids. They weren't fair odds.

But perhaps in this Time, Trunks could finally make a difference. Perhaps he could feel more than useless for once in his life.

He'd help fight if he had to. And maybe, if they won, Goku would be willing to return to Trunks' Time to help him defeat the androids there.

But everything would be _so_ much easier if the kid survived and led him to the lab.

Trunks wanted the personal honour of annihilating Dr.Gero.

The monster that created monsters. The reason behind the destruction of his world.

He would pay dearly, Trunks swore by it.

Then he would blast apart that lab piece by piece until there was nothing left. Destroying everything would ensure the Earth's preservation.

But yet again; it all led back to the present outcome.

Would the boy live?

Trunks stared at the heart-shaped face, and the red tinge of burns that stood out angrily against the pale chalk skin of the boy's bloodless cheeks and nose.

"Come on, kid," He muttered in a faint prayer, "You can pull through this."

Goku tore his eyes away from the tank to look left at Trunks with questioning surprise in his eyes.

But when Trunks didn't acknowledge him or reveal anymore, Goku's eyes drifted back to his son.

They both continued to stand there before the tank, in silence, for a long time.

Piccolo was wrought with guilt.

Gohan and his mother had not taken the news well.

Their reactions had worsened when he had let slip that the boy's likely death was his fault.

The look of utter betrayal and fright on Gohan's face was seared to the backs of Piccolo's eyes. Gohan had looked at him fearfully, as if really _seeing_ him for the first time. Seeing him as a demon, just like everyone else did.

He had never felt as terrible in his entire life, as he had in that moment.

'_I hate you!'_

Piccolo was torturing himself as he replayed those words over and over again from memory.

'_I hate you!' _Gohan had screamed at him with such bite that Piccolo had no doubt that it was the truth. The mixed look of hurt and searing anger had made Piccolo want to cower. From a seven-year-old boy.

But that seven-year-old boy was his life, though he would deny it to anyone but himself. The only thing in this world that he cared for.

And now he'd lost him due to a careless mistake.

Gohan hadn't waited to hear the truth behind what had happened. All he had to hear was that Piccolo had fired a ki blast at his brother, and he'd jumped to his own conclusion behind the reasoning; ultimately favouring Piccolo in a very bad light.

Gohan had then screamed at him and immediately flown out of the house with new-found speed towards Capsule Corporation.

Piccolo didn't stick around after Chi-Chi had breathed, "Get out," in such a dark hiss that he felt the temperature drop, even though her dark eyes were burning into him.

Eyes that Gohan had inherited.

Piccolo had tried to go back to meditating at his waterfall spot, but he couldn't focus. He found it impossible.

He kept glancing at the ki blackened patch of destruction at the edge of the clearing, repeating the scene over and over.

That boy's scream haunted him. He remembered clearly that for a long dreadful moment, Piccolo had thought he'd hurt Gohan.

It had sounded so much like him; back when he was younger, and Piccolo was training him.

The cry of pain was the same, and it tore at his conscience which demanded he protect Gohan from everything bad in the world, which wrestled against the deep distrustfulness and hate he felt towards the other boy. He knew they were not the same person, but that moment had blurred the boundary and confused him.

Perhaps the two boys were really related after all.

Piccolo just didn't want to believe it though. The brown-haired boy was a creation of Dr.Gero. He was an android.

He was put together for the sole purpose of killing Gohan.

Of course Piccolo didn't want that thing near his pupil. It was common sense to keep predator and prey apart. Perfectly logical.

It had nothing to do with the fact that Gohan's attention had shifted from Piccolo to the new kid. Nor that Gohan had only visited once in the past week, and even then, he'd brought along his new brother as a tag along.

Piccolo's insides burned with a strange feeling every time he thought about it.

_No._ Piccolo irritably reassured himself. _You're not jealous. Just concerned for Gohan's safety. _

For some reason a metal image of Gohan blowing a raspberry at him popped into his mind.

Piccolo growled at it.

It was sickening how attached he'd become to the son of Goku. And also frightening.

He had died for him in a past time, and he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Piccolo had felt more of a father to him while Goku was busy being dead after the Saiyan invasion, or away gallivanting around space after the Freiza problem on planet Namek.

Piccolo was there when Gohan had to fight for the planet against Garlic Jr, but where was Goku?

Every fibre of Piccolo's being felt disgusted by the notion that he had a _maternal_ _instinct_ towards Gohan, but that was the only way he could describe the way he thought and acted when Gohan was in danger.

Piccolo had come a long way since hatching from his egg, born with a dark heart, full of hate for the world and Goku Son.

He had never experienced jealously at such a high level. He wasn't used to sharing. And now that Gohan had a new brother and his original father back at home, Piccolo found himself shoved to one side neglectfully.

The forest's peace was nice and he enjoyed meditating, but when ever the silence became too much, or reflecting on his bad past caused him sink into himself, Gohan somehow knew when to time it just right, and come and lift his spirits.

The boy could talk for hours about nothing at all, and Piccolo kept up the old tradition of pretending to be irritated by it.

Gohan knew though. He knew how much Piccolo enjoyed it, or else he would have listened to Piccolo's idle barbs to leave him alone, a long time ago.

But now Gohan's attention was elsewhere. And Piccolo despised the little android boy for that reason.

In actual fact, the boy seemed to be nice, if you went by human trait standards. He was quiet though.

Eerily quiet sometimes, especially when he was in the company of strangers. It was almost as if he were scared to open his mouth and speak, expecting some sort of punishment for it.

Piccolo could clearly see his hesitant movements, his flighty body language, and wary eyes. They were all signs of exposure to consistent fear. An overall mark of abuse.

That gave the androids story some credibility at least.

But it didn't matter. The boy was sure to die with those injuries. He was only a child. Just like Gohan.

Piccolo couldn't get over how much the boy, Shin, or Trunks, or _whatever_, had sounded so similar to Gohan when he was hit by the blast.

He had felt such a sense of relief when he had found out that it wasn't Gohan, and thinking back on that made Piccolo experience guilt.

At the time, the thought that came to mind was, 'It's OK, it's just the android.'

He hadn't really cared about the boy. He had only worked to save his life because he knew that Gohan _did_ care.

It was only an accident, and he had done everything he could to save the boy, so why was Gohan so angry at him?

It was gnawing at Piccolo's sanity.

If the android died, then Gohan would probably never speak to him again. Yet, if the android managed to pull through…there was a chance that Gohan still wouldn't speak to him. Gohan could stubbornly hold on to grudges, just like his mother, unfortunately.

But Gohan also had a kind heart, so Piccolo had a 50/50 chance of being forgiven.

Piccolo scoffed at himself as he realised how oddly emotional and needy he was being. It was ridiculous that Gohan's opinion of him mattered so much.

What had that black-haired boy done to him?

He needed to know what was happening at Capsule Corp. He couldn't get a good enough reading from the other side of the world.

Though he could sense that Gohan was already there.

Before Piccolo could think too hard about his actions, he was flying to Capsule Corp.

He berated himself the entire way.

_This is absurd. I shouldn't even care._ But his head did little to change his heart.

He touched down on the Corporation's roof with a billow of his cape, and then tuned into his ki senses.

Piccolo could now feel the gravely wounded boy's life force. It was weak, and brushed against his senses like an injured butterfly's wings, but it was being kept stable for now.

It was a miracle. Piccolo had written him off as dead for certain.

Piccolo focused on the boy's life force for another hour or so, blocking out the world around him. The wind and city sounds were non-existent.

During that time, slowly but surely, he felt the life in the kid become fractionally stronger and surer, warding death away gradually. He wasn't out of the danger zone for certain, but Piccolo allowed himself to hope for a gradual full recovery. He finally let himself relax.

He came back to the world outside his mind, and let out a low growl of aggravation as he found himself not alone anymore. He had no idea how long Vegeta had been standing before him, and that irked his pride.

Vegeta smirked at him in that annoying sort of smug way that he had always owned. The smirk that Piccolo wanted to wipe off his face with a good upper cut.

"You've done it now, Namek. Good going." The Saiyan said with sarcastic praise.

Piccolo's growl deepened, vibrating in his throat as a warning, but Vegeta chose to ignore it.

"The boy could die, and you've managed to piss off Kakkarot and his brat. Even the woman and the Future Kid are out for you're blood. I didn't think it was possible to disgruntle so many people through the android. Wait until the others find out. They'll be after your head."

"Shut up, Vegeta," Piccolo said closing his eyes again in an attempt to block him out.

"Not likely, I'm enjoying this." Vegeta stepped closer.

Piccolo outsized Vegeta by a mile, but Vegeta seemed to have the height advantage at the moment, by attitude alone.

Piccolo had the urge to push him off the roof to take him down a peg, but that was childish.

The idea still appealed to him nonetheless.

"You should see the look on your little friend's face. He's so distraught it's amusing. He could break down and cry at any moment. All because you might have killed his new best friend."

Piccolo's fangs drew beads of purple blood as he bit into his lower lip.

He took a calming breath and relaxed his tense bunched up muscles.

Piccolo opened his eyes and he gave his own smug smirk at Vegeta.

"Look at what you've been reduced to, Vegeta. I can't believe the might Prince of all Saiyans has lowered to the standard of inflicting pain through _teasing_. Go be a nasty little man somewhere else. I'm not listening to you anymore."

Vegeta puffed up in an instant rage. "I'll show you nasty!"

He charged up an intimidating large ki blast that crackled with black energy.

Piccolo watched him carefully, calculating if he could either deflect it or dodge. It was fun riling Vegeta; if not somewhat dangerous.

"_Don't you dare, Vegeta!_" Bulma's shriek reached their ears. "I will not have another hole in my roof!"

Vegeta and Piccolo looked down over the side of the building to see her standing on the lawn looking furiously up at them.

Piccolo pondered if she had hidden ki sensing abilities. How she knew they were up there was beyond him.

Vegeta glared at her for a long moment, his black eyes seeming to crackle with the same black energy as his ki, before he dissipated the blast.

"Another time, another place, Green Bean," Vegeta snarled before jumping off the roof and out of sight.

Piccolo made a disgruntled noise. The last thing he needed was to add Vegeta to his growing list of people he was on the bad side of.

And one of those people on that list was scowling up at him right this moment. "Get out of here Piccolo, before I come after you with a blow torch!" Bulma threatened before she stalked off.

This was all that kid android's fault.

But that wasn't fair really. Piccolo had brought all of this on himself. He could admit that. He could have at least pretended to tolerate the android to please Gohan, but he had made his dislike blatantly clear.

Why would Gohan believe it had been an accident? There was no chance that he would listen to reason now. He had come to his own conclusion. Everyone probably had.

After all, he was the spawn of the Demon King. Evil to the core.

What was that stupid human saying that Chi-Chi frequently used on him? Oh yes…'A leopard cannot change its spots'.

You would think that after saving her son's life more than a handful of time, she would have warmed up to him a bit; but no.

You try to kill her future husband and you have a black mark against your name for the rest of your life. Unbelievable.

Piccolo turned his thoughts elsewhere.

He could sense that Gohan was deep within the house, close to the android's position. Unfortunately it seemed that his father and the kid from the future were also in the same room.

It was going to be a task to get Gohan alone to talk to him. But the longer he left it, the more Gohan's misunderstanding would fester, until there was no going back.

Piccolo was willing to risk loss of limb to set things right. Besides, he had a knack for growing lost limbs back.

He leapt off the roof and let himself float down the side of the building until he found an open window. It was an awkward fit due to his tall frame and wide shoulders, but he managed to squeeze through.

Once inside he followed Gohan's ki, leading him to stand outside some double doors that read 'Medical Laboratory', printed in bold black print.

Piccolo steeled himself and stepped inside.

Three heads turned to him.

He was greeted by two glares, and one flat stare.

The glares came from Mirai, and painfully, from Gohan.

Goku did nothing more than regarded him carefully. "Perhaps you shouldn't be here, Piccolo."

"I have every right to be here," Piccolo responded.

He turned his gaze to Gohan. "I came here to talk to you."

"Go away, Piccolo," The black-haired boy said sulkily, averting his eyes.

"Not until we talk."

"No." Came the stubborn reply.

Mirai shifted to step closer to Gohan, placing himself between the two of them.

"Leave, Piccolo, you've done enough damage as it is." His brows furrowed similarly to how Vegeta's did when he was annoyed. "You do realise that you might have lost this Time's chance to change the future for the better? You smashed the kid's skull in. What if he has brain damage? He might not be able to tell us where the lab is. He might not even remember!"

"But Bulma said his brain was OK," Goku said in re-emerging panic.

Mirai gave Goku a long suffering look. "It is, he's fine, but I was using the worst case scenario as an example, to try and see if he can feel even the slightest bit of guilt."

Piccolo's eyes flicked over to the boy floating eerily in the tank. "So he's going to be OK?"

Mirai scowled. "Thankfully, yes. The tank was able to undo the damage you caused."

Piccolo's gut uncoiled, and against his will, his shoulder slumped in relief.

Goku caught the subtle action.

"It's alright, Piccolo, we know it was an accident."

Gohan's wide shocked eyes snapped up to his father. "It was?"

Goku looked to Piccolo, a small encouraging smile on his face.

Piccolo thanked him silently. Now that Goku had started the ball rolling, it was easier to continue.

He got to tell the true version of events, and with every sentence Gohan's face fell into new lows of guilt.

"It was an accident," Piccolo concluded, his eyes piercing into Gohan's, trying to convey the truth behind his words.

Gohan's eyes were misty with shameful tears as he flung himself at Piccolo, wrapping himself around him, face buried into his purple gi as he sobbed his heart out.

"I'm sorry, Mr Pic-Piccolo!" He gulped past his clogged up throat and nose. "I'm s-sorry I was m-mean to you for no reason,"

Piccolo pushed him away gently, drawing the line before the risk of tears and snot on his clothes.

"Its fine, kid, just stop bawling and clinging to me."

Gohan messily wiped his tears away, holding his breath in an effort to stop crying. It didn't exactly work because he had somehow gained the hiccups, and so he kept letting out his breath with each jolt. Eventually he calmed himself.

Piccolo nodded in approval at him, then took a quick glance at the boy in the tank before turning with a swish of his cape, and leaving the lab.

His job was done. Everything had been righted now, so he could go back to his waterfall and meditate with a balanced mind.

He walked through the winding corridors of the Capsule Corporation mansion wondering where the hell the exit was.

This place was made of endless twists and turns.

There was no way he was going to shed his dignity again by squeezing through that open window again. Not that he could find it again even if he wanted to.

He wasn't using his ki senses so he was nastily surprised when he rounded a corner, only to meet Bulma.

Bulma jumped in equal surprise, but the initial shock wore off fast, to be taken over by anger.

"What are you doing here?! Get out of my house you monster! You hurt my baby! Get out, get out!"

She stormed up to him, and started to beat on him with pain inflicting precision, wielding nothing but a clipboard.

Piccolo grunted in irritation. He was so close to just pushing her into a wall using extreme force, when Gohan's voice intervened.

"Bulma! Bulma, stop! It's OK, he didn't hurt Shin on purpose!"

The blue-haired hellcat paused mid-swing, then lowered her clipboard to tuck it under her arm.

With her nose in the air, she kept her dignity intact and walked away without giving so much as an apology, letting Piccolo know without a doubt that he was not forgiven in her books. She even added a sniff of contempt as she passed him, just for the sake of it.

Piccolo glared after her. Her pride and stubbornness was almost as bad as Vegeta's. She would never admit to being in the wrong.

It didn't surprise him that those two would come together in future to form a child that was a strange combination of them both.

He didn't wait for Gohan to catch up. He just continued walking, knowing that if Gohan wanted to talk, he would follow him.

Sure enough, Gohan caught up and jogged alongside him, his small legs trying to keep up with Piccolo's ground eating stride.

"What do you want, kid?" He asked gruffly, secretly pleased that Gohan was hinting for his attention.

"I'm really, really sorry Mr. Piccolo," Gohan rushed to say. "I can't believe I thought-"

"I don't blame you for it. My recent actions towards the android did not give you reason to doubt your conclusions."

Piccolo caught Gohan stiffening in anger in his peripheral vision.

"He's not an android," The black-eyed boy said firmly. "He's just like me."

"Fine." Piccolo conceded, letting Gohan win that argument before it could start. "But you have to see that my unease was not without reason. He was created and trained to kill you. Why should I not remain cautious?"

"You're paranoid, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan moaned in a childishly exaggerated manner.

But he was just a child. He was unusually smart for his age, so Piccolo had a tendency to forget that he was only seven. It had always been that way, since he was only four years old.

Piccolo had to remind himself frequently that Gohan just wouldn't understand some things.

He might be smart, but he wasn't wise to the world yet.

Gohan blindly trusted strangers, but Piccolo knew better.

Gohan just wouldn't understand Piccolo's 'paranoia' until he witnessed the downfall of the trust he put in people.

The last thing Piccolo wanted was for Gohan to become jaded. He wanted to protect him from that. He didn't want the student to become the master.

That was where Piccolo's lessons fell short. He could prepare him against physical hurt, but not emotional.

He stopped abruptly in the corridor and caught Gohan by the shoulder to prevent him from walking straight past him, and swung him around so they were facing each other.

"Gohan, I apologise," He said stiffly. "For hurting you."

Gohan frowned in confusion. "You shouldn't be apologising to me. You need to say sorry to Shin."

Piccolo's jaw clenched with the annoyance of Gohan throwing away his apology like it was worthless.

"But I forgive you anyway." Gohan finished with a pleased smile.

Piccolo let out a breath and nodded in solemn acceptance. "I will say…sorry to…_him_, when he has recovered."

"Thank you Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan burst out as he caught Piccolo in another hug.

Piccolo allowed himself a small smile as he ruffled Gohan's spiky hair in a familiar gesture of friendship. Something that he thought he would never get to do again, no more than ten minutes ago.

The emotional wounds were healed. Now the physical ones of the chestnut-haired boy had to heal as well, or the emotional ones would bleed again.

"Stay, Piccolo," Gohan pleaded as he curled his fingers into Piccolo's white cape.

Piccolo couldn't say no.

"I'll be on the roof," He said, "I was never made to be indoors."

Gohan let go and aimed a watery smile up at him.

"Don't start bawling, kid, I'm warning you."

Gohan grinned and then turned and ran back the way he had come, towards the lab.

Piccolo watched him go, and then started to carry on his path.

He cursed himself for not remembering to ask Gohan where the damn exit was.

Anymore of this maze and he'd go mad.

But, he supposed that he could always fall back on the method of blowing a more direct route out of the building. Like…through a few walls. And he could always pin the blame on Vegeta afterwards.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me._

I have no comment on why this took so long to post. I feel bad, so this next post is what everyone has been waiting for. It explains how Shin manages to enter the GW universe. Yay!

I've searched through this thing loads of times to check for mistakes but I can guarantee that I've missed something. I have no beta reader and I can't be bothered to trawl through the new beta system to look for one. Meh.

Thank you for the reviews! I do read them all, but I can't always answer questions because it will give stuff away. Sorry.

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**Chapter 10**

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"I found you!"

"Ohhh… I thought that you'd never find me here." Gohan peered down through the leaves of the tree sitting in.

Shin stood at the base of the tree with his fists on his hips, striking a triumphant pose.

"You're it! It's your turn to find me now!"

"Alright, alright…" Gohan jumped out of the tall tree and landed soundly on his feet. "You're good at this game. Are you sure you've never played it before?"

"Nope. It's fun though."

"Glad you like it," Gohan smiled before he turned to face the tree and then covered his eyes with his hands. "OK, I'll count to one hundred while you go hide," He said. "One…two…three…"

Shin sprinted away across Capsule Cops green garden toward the house. "Don't cheat!" He shouted over his shoulder.

That reprimand covered a variety of ways to cheat. Cheating was considered peaking, skipping numbers, and using ki to track the other players' movements.

Gohan had made it clear that ki sensing would make the game pointless, and normal human children their age couldn't sense ki anyway so it was only fair not to create a disadvantage.

Yet Gohan was devious for breaking his own rules, as Shin had learnt early on in the game.

Shin ran around the left side of the dome-shaped mansion, being wary about going around to the right side, because that was where Goku, Mirai, and Vegeta were training together in the Gravity chamber.

He didn't want to disturb them or get in the way.

And he didn't want to annoy Mirai. He wasn't sure where he stood with the Time traveler anymore.

Shin had woken up in a soft bed in a bedroom, just a day ago, with Gohan snuggled up to his side fast asleep, drooling, and Mirai sitting in a chair by his bedside with a relieved smile on his face, watching him wake. It was a surreal moment for Shin. The last thing he remembered was Piccolo calling him Goku, and then he was waking up here, with a strangely _nice_ version of Mirai. It was like one big dream.

Mirai had explained to him briefly, yet kindly, that he'd had an accident and was hurt badly, but he was all healed now. Shin didn't care for the details of how that was possible; he overlooked it all due to his confusion over Mirai's personality flip.

Goku had entered the room at that point with two plates piled high with sandwiches and Shin's stomach had demanded attention. He'd had to put up with Goku's overabundant fuss, and also from Gohan when he woke up, before he was allowed to eat.

Shin didn't know why they were in such a flap over him; he felt perfectly fine, just hungry and thirsty. Mirai had slipped from the room to go collect Bulma, and Shin had then been showered with hugs and kisses on her appearance. And after her, came his grandparents. They were easier to bear, because with their coddling came the gift of a cool electronic toy and a batch of cookies. He was in a dither over it all.

After he had assured them enough times that he was OK, he was allowed out of bed to go home.

But when he had stepped outside into the sunshine on the lawn of Capsule Corp. to teleport home with his father and brother, Piccolo had appeared and sent Shin into deep shock by awkwardly apologizing for the incident and his past behavior.

Shin knew that Piccolo's turnabout had something to do with Gohan by the way his brother gave Piccolo a blinding smile of thankfulness at that moment.

Whatever the reason behind two of his despisers' change of heart, he was grateful. It was disheartening to see a person act nice to everyone around them, and then turn on you, single you out, and behave the exact opposite. Just because of his existence? It wasn't fair.

Vegeta still hated him, presumed from the glare in passing he had received whilst leaving, so at least he knew that he hadn't woken up in a topsy-turvy world. He didn't mind that Vegeta didn't like him, because Vegeta didn't like anyone.

He'd gone home, only to be captured in yet another round of overbearing worry and a lot of mothering from Chi-Chi. He didn't like being suffocated like that, and sloppy kisses on the cheek when he least expected them were embarrassing. But he didn't want to hurt her feelings by pushing her away, in case she felt the need to stop showing him any affection at all. And the hot chocolate with mini marshmallows she gave him sweetened his resolve to bear through it. And no studying! It was an added bonus.

He had returned to Capsule Corp. today at morning light to escape Chi-Chi's clutches. If she'd had her way, he would have been locked in his room and wrapped in cotton wool like fragile glass. As it was, she'd decided to come with them to keep an eagle eye on Shin, so it wasn't much of an escape after all.

It was the last day before the lab raid, as it had been set back by his accident, and every fighter taking part had gathered to hold a strategic meeting.

The end decision was 'Go in, blow everything up', in Yamcha's blunt words.

Shin liked that idea, and so did everyone else.

To mark their potential last day alive in one historical moment, Mrs. Briefs whipped out a camera and coerced everyone into posing in it. Shin was placed at the front of the group, along with Krillen and Gohan, since they were the shortest (much to Krillen's indignation), with one of Krillen's arm linked in his and the man's other around Gohan, pulling the three of them close together as the focus of the scene

With Goku and Chi-Chi standing proudly behind Shin, plus Mrs. Briefs' appeal for their biggest smiles, Shin gained the courage to grin at the camera and pull a borrowed confident pose, flashing the peace sign. He liked the idea of acting like Goku, it made him feel empowered.

Despite Mr. and Mrs. Briefs insistence, Piccolo and Vegeta would not smile. Shin's Grandparents were trying to push their luck too far. It was amazing enough that those two were in the photo at all.

The second after the flash, Piccolo flew off with a disgruntled huff, and Vegeta stomped away to the gravity chamber.

The rest of them broke apart and left at a more leisurely pace, with warm farewells until tomorrow. Even though Tien and Chaozu were staying at Capsule Corp, they had decided that they wanted to spend the rest of the day with Krillen and Yamcha on Kami's Island.

After a lot of reassurances, Chi-Chi had been persuaded to unglue herself from Shin's side. With nothing else to do she happily took the copter home to prepare dinner for the family's return at a later time.

That just left Shin, the Briefs family, Gohan, Goku, Mirai, and Vegeta at Capsule Corp.

Mirai trailed after Vegeta, and Bulma and her parents excused themselves back to work.

Before eagerly following after Mirai and Vegeta to train, Goku had told Shin and Gohan to have as much fun as they could today, so they were.

As Shin approached the front door, it opened and Bulma stepped outside, balancing a tray of three glasses and a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade.

He whizzed past her, causing her to 'eep' in surprise and momentarily loose her perfect balance and wobble a bit before steadying, not loosing a drop of liquid.

"Slow down, Trunks!" She called after him, half exasperated, half amused as she walked in the direction of the gravity chamber.

Shin couldn't afford to slow down. He needed to find a really good hiding spot before he ran out of time. He dashed down a corridor that he had never come across before, and he stopped at every door along the way to peak inside the side rooms and scan for a suitable place to hide.

None of the small pokey offices or storage closets met his standards though.

He reached the end of the corridor and was left with one last door.

This door was vastly different from every other one in the building. It took up the entire end of the corridor, stretching from wall to wall, and ceiling to floor. It was also made of a thick wall of metal, which had yellow and black stripy tape down the centre of the door to highlight the vertical split that suggested that the doors slid apart.

It loomed over him looking ominous. It was a place that didn't look friendly to enter.

_Gohan will never look for me here!_ He decided gleefully as he reached up to slap his palm against the red button on the wall with the label 'Open' under it.

The interlocking metal doors slid apart and the lights inside automatically flickered into life.

Shin stared in awe at the sight before him.

The room was _huge_! The ceiling was so high up!

It looked like a storage hanger. A range of varying sized old computers were stacked tall together in the nearest corner, looking unused and dusty.

Crates were dotted in odd places across the hanger floor, some spilling over with papers and pieces of strange shaped metal parts and wires. A lot of unrecognisable machines and mechanisms were stored in piles, or on shelves and countertops all over the place. Tools were littered everywhere.

It was a mechanics heaven. Or in Shin's case, a place to evoke his childish curiosity and adventurous side.

To him it looked like a playground of discovery.

The metal doors started to slide shut so Shin slipped in between the closing gap and entered the hanger.

He spent another few seconds taking everything in, but then happily wandered over to a work desk against the wall that caught his interest. There was a variety of beakers and test tubes in racks, containing all the colours of the rainbow in them, all with individual labels stuck on, labeling them with long unpronounceable names that Shin had never learnt before and couldn't twist his tongue around.

Fascinated, he moved onto the next counter top. It held bits and pieces of mechanics, with nuts, bolts, and tools scattered around, as if someone had abandoned their job half way through.

He carefully lifted the strange piece of put together odds and ends so he could examine it closely.

With a jolt of horror he dropped the object, recognizing it.

It was a robotic arm.

He backed away from the counter top fearfully. The robotic arm reminded him far too much of the goings on in Dr. Gero's lab while he had been there.

Not feeling nearly as adventurous as before, Shin didn't feel like lingering in this place.

His unstable core had been shaken by the revived memories of the lab and he wanted nothing more than a bit of comfort from someone. Just being in the presence of another person would do. Gohan was good at making him feel safe so he thought of going to him.

Then he remembered that he was supposed to be as far away from Gohan as possible at the moment because the game of hide and seek was still in progress.

Quickly deciding that it didn't matter so much if he cheated a little just this once, Shin opened up his ki senses to locate Gohan.

He bit back panic as he sensed Gohan closing in on his location, fast.

_He's cheating again! _Shin mentally whined before his thoughts turned to his current problem.

Where was he going to hide?

His eyes darted around the hanger and he fought the urge to flap his hands in urgency and run in circles.

There were lots of useable hiding places around, but he struggled to choose one, and none of them were spectacular.

Shin decided on hiding behind a stack of wooden crates at the back of the hanger.

He dashed across the floor and went to dive behind the wall of crates, only to find his space already occupied by a large machine that looked like a strange space pod on four spindly legs.

It was black and yellow with a glass roof that was open like a lid. A ladder was propped against the side of the machine to give easy access inside.

Inching closer, Shin noticed the word 'Hope' printed on its side, next to where the ladder rested.

"What is it?" He wondered to himself.

His curiosity got the better of him and he wobbled up the ladder to warily peak inside.

The interior was a single chair and a confusing array of buttons and levers on the metal panel before it.

It didn't look dangerous so Shin crawled inside and tucked himself in the space between the chair and the control panel, grinning and feeling pleased with himself for his new ingenious hiding place.

_It's a hiding place in a hiding place! Gohan won't find me now! _

Only moments after Shin had managed to make himself comfortable, he heard the hanger doors separate, and Gohan's light, stalking footsteps were heard entering.

"Shiiinnn…" He called out slyly. "I know you're in here,"

Shin had to quell the word 'cheater!' from bursting past his lips, and he had to place his hands over his mouth to stop himself from giggling.

Gohan's footsteps prowled across the floor, heading right for his hiding spot, closer and closer.

Shin curled up his body into a tighter ball as if it could possibly make him invisible, and he held his breath to make him undetectable by ear. He tensed in anticipation, barely containing his shivers of excited fear. He loved the thrill of this game.

The footsteps stopped.

Shin strained his ears.

"Found y- Oh!" Gohan's voice was surprised.

The chestnut-haired boy shook with repressed snickers. Though he couldn't see, Shin could easily picture Gohan rounding the crates, expecting to pounce on his prey, only to find no sign of him and nothing but an odd machine standing there instead.

"Shin?" Gohan asked in befuddlement, "Where are you hiding?"

He was only speaking to himself aloud, not expecting a reply. Shin wasn't going to give one, he wasn't stupid.

There was another silence. It stretched on for a nerve-wracking minute.

A shadow fell over him.

"BOO!" Gohan's voice yelled in his ear.

Shin jumped in surprise and bashed his head on the underside of the control panel.

"Oops, sorry, didn't mean to scare you so badly," Gohan apologised, but the grin in his voice spoilt the sincerity.

Shin looked up to see Gohan floating over him, sitting cross-legged in mid air, with a smug smile.

"You cheated!" Shin automatically accused with a pout. He felt disappointed about being found, so to save his battered pride he tried to pin all the blame on Gohan.

"Did not!" Gohan replied indignantly.

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to, did to, did to!" Shin yelled.

Gohan huffed. "Fine, if you want to believe that, go ahead, but you've got no proof."

Shin smiled in victory.

Gohan floated back slightly so he could rest his elbows on the rim of the machine, and peer inside curiously.

"This is a great hiding place, but you really shouldn't be in this hanger. There's a lot of dangerous stuff stored in here." He rapped his knuckles against the metal of the machine's hull. "And I don't even know what this is. Perhaps Bulma or Dr- um,

_Mr._ Briefs, is working on it. It looks strange. Maybe it's a spaceship- a small one."

A wicked grin passed over his face. "Or maybe it's an execution machine. You just sit inside, press a button, and ZAP! You're vaporised into nothing."

Shin's chest tightened in fear. He didn't want to be vaporised!

He scrambled out from under his hidey-hole and up onto the chair. He then tried to clamber over the control panel to reach the ladder, careless of what buttons he was accidently pressing in his haste to get out.

"Careful Shin!" Gohan said worriedly. "You might break it!"

Shin didn't care, he just wanted to get out.

He had one leg over the side when his tail automatically reached out to curl around the nearest object to help him balance.

Unfortunately, his tail chose a lever as its anchor point, and as Shin's support weight was applied, the lever was pushed downwards.

With his balance pulled out from under him, Shin tumbled over backwards, once more into the machine's cockpit.

He luckily managed to twist his body so he landed with a soft 'whompf' on the chair, instead of meeting with the control panel or any other hard metal surfaces.

He regained his senses in time to become aware of the hiss of hydraulics and Gohan's surprised yelp.

Shin looked up to see the glass dome roof lowering down over his head, sealing him inside.

Gohan had pushed away from the rim of the machine to avoid having his fingers chopped off by the lowering lid, and was now hovering over the machine looking down at Shin anxiously.

Shin's panic set in. He was trapped in an enclosed space with no idea how to get back out.

He pressed his hands up against the glass barrier, looking up pleadingly at Gohan, begging to be let out.

He saw Gohan's mouth move as he spoke something that looked like 'stay calm', but he couldn't tell for sure because he couldn't hear a thing. The closed roof made the machine sound proof.

Gohan began to scour the outside of the machine for a button or something of the like to open the roof once again.

Shin scanned his wide frightened eyes over the control panel to find a release for the hatch, but none of the series of the buttons, levers, or dials were labelled. It was all just a complex mess to him.

Instead, he tried to locate the lever that had gotten him into this muddle, but he didn't know what it looked like because he hadn't been paying attention to what his tail had grabbed a hold of.

There were two levers that he could see in a downward position. One had yellow tape wrapped around the handle to make it distinguishable, but in Shin's case it didn't help in the least since he had no clue as to why it was supposed to be distinguishable in the first place.

He gambled his luck. It was a 50/50 chance of being right.

Shin used his puny strength to push the yellow marked lever up into an upward position.

Luck obviously wasn't on his side. His hope swooped down to an all new level of despair as the machine hummed into life around him and the rocket engines, located outside, whined with and increasingly higher pitch and volume as they charged up.

The control panel lit up and buttons flashed at him tauntingly.

Shin shrank back from the controls and huddled fearfully in his chair.

He jumped in fright as a loud bang sounded right next to his head. He looked up to his left to see Gohan floating level with him and thumping his fist on the glass to catch his attention.

'Stay there, I'll get help!' He mouthed before whisking out of sight.

Shin scowled despite his fear. _Where else can I go? _He thought bitterly. Gohan wasn't thinking clearly, which was proof of his panic.

Shin wasn't comforted by that thought. Gohan was supposed to be his level-headed rock of reliability.

And following the line of Gohan's panic…

Was it just him or was it a bit stuffy in here? And cramped…

His heart rate naturally sped up but he tried to keep his breaths even, determined not to lose all thought in this place, of all places. Now was not a good time.

He curled up into a ball in the chair and sat there shivering in fright, his eyes following the blinking lights on the control panel in a paranoid manner.

Gohan had better hurry up with that help. Why was it that he always got into trouble and had to rely on others to save him?

He was sick of it. It made him feel useless, and he didn't want to feel like that anymore. That was how Gero made him feel all the time. Why couldn't he be independent like everyone else he knew?

Firming his courage, Shin shuffled forwards in the chair so he was sitting on the edge and closer to the console.

He took a long hard look at the available controls, guessing their usage.

None of them were clearly labelled. He didn't have a clue what to do.

So he randomly guessed, full of false hope and confidence.

He pushed up the other lever, hoping to reverse the closed lid.

Nothing happened.

Shin huffed in frustration and looked for the next most possible option.

He spied a button with the neat black print writing underneath, saying 'THRUSTERS'.

Shin's sudden hope made his heart jump. The thrusters were the things humming with life on the sides of the machine, weren't they? So if they were already on, then pressing this button should turn them off, right?

He pressed the button.

It was a big mistake. A big, huge, tremendous mistake.

Instead of turning off, the thrusters roared into further life and the machine began to tremble.

Shin flung himself away from the console and used his arms to cover his head as he screamed in fear.

He was surrounded by noise and movement, with no way out, and no idea what he'd just done. What if Gohan was right? What if this _was _an execution machine? He'd just turned it on! He was going to be vaporised!

Forget independence. He started to scream hysterically for Gohan's help.

The machine began to vibrate and Shin began to feel an odd pressure press down on him. The type you feel when going against gravity.

Shin's wild eyes looked up and out of the glass dome above him. The ceiling wasn't so nearly as high anymore and it was lowering slowly.

After a second of disorientation, Shin realised that the ceiling wasn't lowering; the machine was rising up towards it.

The machine was flying up steadily, the thrusters powering it.

He feared that he was going to bump into the ceiling and the glass roof would shatter- but luckily the machine stopped to hover mere feet from the metal girders.

Shin took a shocked moment to breathe as fear stilled him.

He had no way down to safe ground now, even if he did manage to escape.

The hysteria flooded forwards again, as did the rivers of tears and the screams that made his throat hoarse. He beat his fists against the glass futilely.

His chest heaved in panic, his heart rate pounding like a humming bird's. He felt dizzy, he couldn't breathe.

It was too cramped, too hot, too stuffy. He needed to get out _now_.

Suddenly, Mirai's face was on the other side of the glass that separated Shin from his freedom.

His lavender hair was wind blown and his features were a picture of pure panic.

He shouted Shin's name, but Shin could only lip read. He was cocooned in silence.

Mirai floated closer to press himself against the dome, his hands splayed out across the glass, leaving fingerprint smudges.

Shin leaned forwards to press his own hands up against Mirai's, desperate for a comforting touch; but all he could feel was cold glass.

He was abruptly bursting with hope. Mirai could save him.

And then his father was also there, slightly behind Mirai, a look of deep concern on his face, his usual smile gone from his face.

Vegeta and Gohan hovered into view in the distance.

Vegeta looked amused at his predicament, and Gohan was worrying his lip.

Mirai banged on the glass to gain Shin's full attention, so Shin turned his teary eyes to him, giving him a watery smile of relieved welcome.

Mirai did not smile back. He looked grim.

That gave a blow to Shin's hope and his smile dropped.

Mirai pointed exaggeratedly at the control panel as if gesturing for Shin to look.

Shin looked but couldn't see anything worth looking at.

Mirai continued to point, and mouthed, 'The red button'.

Shin looked again and saw what the teenager was waving his finger at.

It was a large red button on the centre of the console. There was no label.

Red symbolised danger didn't it?

Mirai jabbed his finger at it, shook his head from side to side in an erratic move, and said something too long and fast for Shin to lip read.

"This one?" Shin pointed at the button, asking for confirmation.

Mirai nodded hastily, his eyes riveted on Shin's outstretched finger in trepidation.

It seemed to Shin that Mirai wanted him to push the button since he'd drawn his attention to it purposely. What other reason could there be?

Shin reached out to press it, and saw out of the corner of his eye as Mirai's face blanched, and he shouted, 'DON'T!', but it was too late. His finger had already depressed the button and all he could do now was let go like he'd been stung by it.

'_NO!_' Mirai screamed and slammed his hands against the glass once again, horror all over his face, his blue eyes wide. '_I said DON'T press it!_'

Shin looked back at him, cringing in fear.

Something in Shin's body lurched awkwardly, not unlike the sensation of instant transmission, and suddenly he was blind. He couldn't see a thing, he was plunged into darkness.

And just as abruptly, he was thrown into a dazzling array of blinding colourful lights that danced around and whizzed by the dark void outside the machine, which stretched on like space.

Shin's breath caught in shock.

He was in a vortex of spiralling light. As the spinning patterns zipped by they cast strips of colour over Shin, mixed with shadow.

Shin gasped as he looked down at the multi-coloured zebra stripes shifting over the skin of his arms. He spun onto his knees so he could peer over the back of the seat to see behind him.

The vortex stretched on and on.

Where had Mirai gone? And his Dad? And Gohan? He didn't mind that Vegeta was nowhere to be seen.

He was all alone. They'd vanished.

And where was he? This place was scary. He wanted to go back, but he didn't know how.

The machine was flying rapidly forwards, not back the other way from where he'd come from. At least he guessed so. The where no markings to map a direction.

His destination was unknown.

In a state of bonelessness, Shin slid down the chair back until he was curled up on his side like a cat. He clutched his tail to his chest and pressed his face into the chair's soft material so he wouldn't have to look at his surreal surroundings.

Then he cried.

Heart wrenching sobs of misery shook his small frame, and pitiful whimpers of fear escaped his throat unhindered.

He let go of his fear and bared it all. No one was there to see it.

He moaned out each of his families' names over and over again, begging for one of them to save him.

He wanted out of this nightmare, and to feel safe again. In this strange place there were no guarantees, and what he needed now was reassurance.

He cried hard for so long he lost track of time and eventually tired himself out.

With hitching breaths and swollen eyes, he fell into a deep sleep with the last images he'd seen of his family scorched into the dark behind his eyelids.

Their shocked and horrified faces frozen in time followed him into his empty dreams.

* * *

He awoke once during the journey, but was too exhausted to break down all over again when he saw that he hadn't dreamt the mess he was in.

He'd fallen asleep again, not caring for how much time had passed, only to be reawakened by a large jolt.

He bolted upright in his seat, alert for any danger.

His eyes felt sore and his sight was blurry, so it took a moment for him to effectively take in his surroundings.

The vortex of light was gone, and Shin noted that the machine was at a stand still on solid ground.

He'd grown so used to constant movement that he felt sick now that he'd stopped.

The first thing he noticed was that it was daylight.

He looked up through the glass roof to see a pale blue sky, but something about it was odd. It just didn't look quite…real. It looked like a painted ceiling with a giant lamp shinning light on it. And the clouds weren't moving.

His eyes dropped to find the skyline, but instead of following a line, he followed a curve.

A cityscape stretched out in front of him – and up. Up at an extreme angle. Like the whole city was sitting in a steep-sided bowl.

How could people live at a 45 degree angle? Surely gravity would drop them on their sides.

Yet, apparently gravity was keeping them grounded because he could see cars moving like ants through the maze of city streets.

Tearing his eyes away from the strange sight, he took time to take a closer look at where he was.

Pressing his nose up against the dome he observed that he was in the middle of an open and empty courtyard. The concrete floor was worn, dull and potholed with age and misuse.

Litter was strewn everywhere, objects including ratty newspapers, plastic bags, cans and broken glass. There was even a burnt out car to the far left.

The courtyard was bordered by some warehouse type buildings, all in a state of disrepair, with the windows and doors boarded shut, and roof supports collapsing inwards.

Everything here was dirty, dull, and broken.

Shin wrinkled his nose in distaste. He was obviously in the wrong part of town – whichever town this was. It certainly wasn't West City.

Where had this machine taken him? And how could he get back home again?

He frowned distrustfully at the console. Pressing buttons had gotten him into this mess, he didn't want to touch them again.

If he sat where he was and stayed here, his family would come and get him. Chi-Chi had taught him that if he ever got lost in the forest he was to stay where he was until someone found him. He was not to wander off. The rule applied to this situation, didn't it?

So he made himself comfortable and waited.

And waited, and waited…

At some point he fell asleep, only to wake up to a dark pink sky as the day was threatening to draw to a close. It was growing dark, fast.

No one had come for him.

Shin wallowed in self-pity.

With a mournful sigh he came to the realisation that he would have to find his own way home.

And that meant that he would have to find someone to help him do so.

Also meaning that he had to find a way out of this machine by himself…or he'd be trapped forever.

Shin tentively edged nearer to the controls. It was now or never to have another go at freedom.

The engine had shut down on landing so he felt a bit braver. And this time around he had a better idea about what not to press.

He moved even closer, biting his lip nervously.

He balked as his knee hit something under the lip of the console, and he felt it give way and push up.

There was a pressurised hiss of air and suddenly the hatch was opening.

Shin felt a thrill of joy at his luck and expected to take a nice deep breath of cool fresh air, but instead inhaled a horrible concoction of frigid, stale, polluted, oxygen deficient air. It smelt horrible! He could taste the dirtiness of it sharply on his tongue.

Decay and desolation was heavy in the atmosphere. And the trace of sour urine was not a pleasant addition.

Duo held both hands over his nose and mouth; afraid of the properties that he was breathing in.

His stomach was turning.

Now that he had freedom he didn't want it.

Reluctantly, Shin lowered his hands (taking short gasps for air between long held breaths) and climbed out of his seat and over the side of the machine.

He hesitated as he realised that the ladder was gone. He had no choice but to jump.

It was a high drop for a small, skinny, seven year old sized boy, and he landed funny on his ankle, making a hot pain throb up his leg.

He fell to his hands and knees, only to cry out in pain as he grazed his knees and something sharp bit into his left palm.

He turned his hand to see a fragment of green glass buried into his skin, blood welling up around it.

Tears pricked at his eyes.

He wobbled up onto his feet and held his hand protectively to his chest as he looked around warily.

This place was scary to be alone in. It felt unnatural.

It was very cold for the middle of summer, and the air felt thick in his lungs. There wasn't a breath of wind, and it was so quiet. So quiet that Shin felt like the only one around for miles.

That assumption was proven wrong as Shin heard the clink of glass and saw a brown bottle roll out from behind the corner of the warehouse closest to him.

A man staggered out right after it. He was wearing ragged clothes and he didn't look too well.

His head was bowed and he seemed to be having balance problems because he was forced to lean against the warehouse's corrugated metal wall in an effort to stay upright.

Shin was scared. He was all alone in the middle of nowhere, with a strange man standing meters away.

Chi-Chi had told him not to speak to strangers, but how else was he supposed to get home if he couldn't ask anyone for help?

He cleared his throat nervously to get the odd man's attention.

The man's head snapped up and he pushed himself away from the wall so he could take a sloppy defensive stance.

His bleary eyes settled on Shin and he frowned uncertainly before glaring full on.

"Y'r one o' those li'le shits aren't ya!" He shouted accusingly.

Shin blinked, feeling hurt that he had been called a bad word. He was also confused by the language change. English?

"Well ya ain't gettin' my cash ya damn street rat!"

He took threatening steps forward, and Shin took scared steps back.

The man lunged and Shin jumped back, but he hit the side of the machine and clonked the back of his head, disorientating himself momentarily.

That moment was enough for the angry man to grab the front of Shin's shirt and haul him clean off the ground.

He was slammed harshly up against the machine, smashing his head once again, and his feet dangled uselessly almost a meter off the ground. The sick man was deceptively strong.

"Wher'ya friends, rat? Wher' they hidin'? Tell 'em ta come out!"

Shin struggled to breath past the crushing weight of the man pressing up against him, and the stench of stale alcohol that the man must have been drenched in, along with the foul undertones of a sickly sweet-but-sour aroma, like off milk and meat decay. He wanted to gag. His stomach was heaving with the smell and the intense fear taking over his senses.

The drunken man's bloodshot eyes darted around the paranoia. Shin had a not-so-nice close up view of his thin, sallow-skinned face, with rough stubble. His hair was a lank dark blonde, with what looked like dried vomit matted to the right side of his head.

He turned his head to shout at the top of his lungs in a crazed manner, "Come out! I got one'a ya own! If ya want 'im back, ya pay fer 'im!"

Shin began to cry again, and he whimpered as the man pressed an elbow into his ribs.

"Shut up, thief. If ya don't stop whining, I'll kill ya."

Shin wasn't listening. He was deaf with fear.

But he wasn't blind.

His tears and struggles ceased as he saw his aggressor pull out a switch blade knife, and he felt it as the cold rusty metal was pressed to his throat.

"I said," The man snarled through yellow teeth, "Shut up or I'll kill-"

He cut off with a slurred grunt as his head jerked forwards as if he'd taken a blow from behind.

His eyes slid out of focus and glazed over, his mouth sagging open in dumb surprise.

His grip on Shin loosened and they both fell to the floor in a tangled heap.

Shin wheezed for air since the man's dead weight was on top of him, but he was relieved from the suffocating pressure as the man was rolled off him.

Shin just lay where he was, in an awkward twisted position, panting in the aftermath of shock and pain.

His chest ached, and he had bruises forming down his left side where he had landed. There was also a stinging sensation from where the knife blade had nicked him slightly on his neck.

He was too emotionally overloaded to care what was going to happen anymore.

"Ya alright, kid?" Another heavily accented voice asked.

Shin rolled his eyes upwards to look at whoever this new person standing over him was.

The first thing he focused on was a pair of curious amber eyes staring down at him.

"Are ya deaf or somethin'?"

Shin traced his gaze to the straight nose, down to pale chapped lips, and strong jaw.

They all formed together to make a complete face of a boy that had to be in early adolescence. Not that many years older than him. Maybe thirteen?

Something tight in Shin's chest loosened.

This boy made him feel safe, just like Gohan.

Tears of relief slid down his already wet cheeks.

"Hey, Hey!" The amber eyes boy exclaimed with a frown. "No need ta cry! Boys don't cry anyway. Stop it or'll pinch ya."

Shin hastily wiped away his tear tracks as he saw the other boy reached for his arm with his fingers poised to pinch.

The boy grinned. "That's betta," He stretched out his hand for Shin to take hold of.

Shin gingerly moved to reach up, so his forming bruises didn't throb so much.

"Damn, kid, he ruffed ya up good,"

Those calm amber eyes studied him from head to toe, dirty blonde locks hanging in his equally grubby face.

He absently brushed his long bangs back and sharply twisted his hand out of Shin's reach, only to grab his wrist in a vice grip, a dark look taking over his features.

Shin flinched and tried to tug away, but he was surprised when the older boy turned his palm to the sky and tenderly prodded the glass shard still imbedded in flesh and blood.

He tutted to himself, "Geeze, kid, what ya bin doin'? Crawlin' 'round on ya hands and knees in da gutta?"

He scrutinised the wound before carefully gripping the protruding edge of glass and ripping it out without so much as a warning.

Shin wailed in pain and his tears re-emerged - until he saw the blonde boy make a pinching gesture at him again.

"That hurt," He whined, glaring at the offender. The language change was easy enough to adapt to, but it made his tongue feel thick and clumsy.

"Eh, whatever. It had ta come out sometime so quit moanin' at me." He reached into a holey pocket in the stained and ragged red hooded jacket he was wearing, and whipped out a threadbare hanky. "Use tha' ta stop the blood. Wrap it 'round ya hand. Don't want it turnin' infected."

Shin eyed the hanky with caution. It was practically black with grime, yet he guessed that it had once been a crisp white. There were probably more germs on it than the inside of a toilet.

He took it and did as he was told.

"What's ya name, kid?"

"Shin," He answered automatically, not giving himself time to debate whether it was a good or bad idea to tell this stranger his name.

"Shin, huh? Like part o' the leg? Weird." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yer not from 'round 'ere are ya. I can tell by yer clothes, yer soft hands, 'n yer accent. What ya doin' out here on yer lonesome? Where's ya family?"

Shin's throat clogged up. "Don't know."

The amber-eyed boy's face softened further in sad understanding.

"Another lost little one," He said to himself reflectively. "Ah, I'm such a sucker fer strays."

His decisive gaze dropped back down to Shin.

"OK, stick with us, Shin,"

"Us?" Shin repeated uncomprehendingly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," The boy let out a loud sharp whistle by sucking in his lower lip. Shin was fascinated by how he'd done it with no fingers. He'd only ever seen Goku use his fingers in his mouth to do it. To Shin it was impressive that this boy was better at whistling than the greatest man alive.

As the boy looked around expectantly, so did Shin.

There was movement by a warehouse door to his right. A boy Shin's age stepped out into view, trailing a boy of four years behind him by the hand.

Shin didn't have time to inspect them in detail before his attention was caught again and he whipped his head around as a head popped up from behind the burnt out car to his left.

Another figure just seemed to appear out of thin air before him, leaning against the machine Shin had arrived in.

More appeared and they crowded in closer to form a loose circle around Shin and the older boy.

Shin counted eight boys, not including the eldest boy, ranging from the age of what looked like four to eleven.

They were all thin, hollow faced and dirty, wearing mismatched clothes.

He instantly felt like the odd one out with his clean fresh complexion and washed clothes with no more than a small grass stain on the hem of his shorts.

"Meet th' gang," The taller blonde boy pronounced with pride.

Shin shifted uncomfortably and dropped his gaze down to his sneakers as he felt all the children's eyes inspect him critically.

"Solo," A gruff voice protested. "He's a softie, what ya takin' him in fer?"

Duo raised his head to meet the voice head on in offence. The boy was one of the older ones, and he was alternating his frown of displeasure between the amber eyed boy and Shin from under the shadow of his navy hood.

So the oldest boy's name was Solo?

"Same reason I took you in," Solo held a steady gaze on the questioning boy. "You were jus' as bad if I remember right. Now look at ya. Yer a tough nut."

Solo smiled down at Shin. "We'll find a use for ya. But ya hav'ta pull yer weight."

Shin nodded, even though he was unsure of what was expected of him.

"K, then. This is yer new family." He swept a hand around the circle of children. "Meet Jimmy," That was the surely hooded boy, "Kenny," Kenny tugged his soft flat cap further down over his young round-cheeked face looking bashful at being brought attention to.

"Then there's Jo," Jo was maybe only just a year older than Shin and had bright blue eyes, with floppy blonde hair, held out of his face by a strip of burgundy cloth tied around his head like a sweat band. "Jo's a girl. It's a secret so don't go makin' it public. Pretend she's a guy so she don't get no hassle." Solo expanded.

Shin did a double take. The boyish stance and clothes were a good illusion. But now that Solo had mentioned it, his- no _her_ eyes gave her away. Shin couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something distinctly feminine about them.

Though right at this moment it was harder to tell when she glaring at him in annoyance.

"Yeah, I'm a chick, get ova it." She said sharply as she folded her arms across her chest defensively.

"Jo," Solo warned in an exasperated voice. Solo turned a wry smile onto Shin. "Don't mind her. She always plays th' hard front when she meets a new face. Next is Bolt,"

Bolt was slightly younger with short black spiky hair, wild dark eyes and a dark tan. The overly-large itchy looking grey sweater he was wearing was too long in the arm so his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He looked the type to be quick on his feet, as his name might imply.

"Ace," Solo waved a hand at a boy that was tall, yet Shin still suspected him to be younger than him. He had light brown hair, with hazel eyes, and he looked rather reserved with a solemn face.

"And Skip," Skip smiled at Shin cheerfully, so Shin returned it the best he could. Skip had short wavy blonde hair. He was wearing an adult sized brown shirt with half the buttons missing down the front, and the long sleeves fell to his fingertips. His small frame looked ridiculously dwarfed in it.

"This is Tommy n' his brother Scrapper," Tommy, who stood at Solo's side, looked frail and sickly, in shorts and a thin t-shirt despite the chill in the air. He was protectively clutching the small hand of the four year old boy at his side, who was wrapped up warmly in a scarf. They both had mousy brown hair. Their faces were nondescript and easily forgettable in a crowd.

"Yer owe ya thanks ta Skip n' Ace. Skip 'erd the guy shoutin' and then Ace belted 'im in him in the back o' the 'ead with a brick."

The boy named Jimmy (the one opposed to Shin joining the group) roughly kicked the unconscious drunken man on the floor in the leg, then bent down and started to search his pockets, stripping him of a paper note that looked like money. Shin didn't recognise the currency.

"Jackpot," The surly boy grinned in triumph as he handed it over to Solo.

Solo looked pleased. "This'll last us a week."

"You just stole that," Shin protested as Solo pocketed the money.

"That's survival here, kid. You'll learn in time."

Shin looked around unsurely. "Where _is_ here?"

Solo blinked and then laughed. "Ya really 're lost ain't ya kid! Welcome ta the dead district of L-2, otherwise known as the Underworld."

"L-2?"

"Hell, you're an Earth Kid. Yer gonna need work." Solo huffed. "Ah well, yer gotta be good at somethin'."

"We gotta keep movin' Solo!" Kenny reminded his leader as he nervously tugged the brim of his cap down to shield his eyes, which were darting around with trepidation. "It's almos' lights out."

"Yeah, yeah, l'right," Solo waved him off. Solo looked down at Shin intensely. "You with us, kid?"

Shin weighed his options. Stay where he was (and possibly meet other scary people in the dark), or maybe go off into the unknown city of L-2 by himself to find a nice adult to help him. Or trust these boys to keep him safe?

Shin nodded in reply to Solo's proposition.

"Good. I'd hate ta hav'ta leave you out here 'lone after dark. Who knows what'd happen ta ya."

Solo looked up at the large machine with raised eyebrows. "This yer own?"

"No, I don't know who it belongs to," Was Shin's instant reply.

Solo smiled brightly. "Great, then we can take it apart 'n sell bits fer credits."

"No!" Shin burst out in horror. "It's mine!" He lied. "You can't break it up!

"But you jus' said-"

"I lied."

Solo scowled at him unhappily. "If there's one thing I hate more th'n 'nything, its liars. Don't lie ta me, kid."

Shin's shoulders drooped in shame. "I'm sorry," He looked up at Solo imploringly. "But you can't take it apart. I travelled here in it. I need to find out how to work it so I can go home again."

"Kid, if ya get lost on L-2, ya stay lost. Yer from Earth, right?"

Shin nodded. Where else would he be from?

Unless the older boy knew he was a Saiyan. But he couldn't…right?

Shin self-consciously pulled his tail in closer to his body under his shorts.

Solo looked at him grimly. "Then ya ain't gonna get back there 'nytime soon. Best thing ya can do is wait fer someone ta come get ya."

That seemed like a good idea to Shin. It was far easier than finding his own way back home.

He must have looked miserable because Solo grouched," Kid, yer bringin' my mood down a few notches. Cheer up. Smile fer gods sake."

Shin forced a weak smile onto his face to appease him.

"Betta. Yer got a great smile, Shin. Cute. Makes me feel all warm 'n fuzzy inside."

This time Shin's smile was real with joy.

His Father was right; smiling did make people feel better.

"Solo!" Kenny prodded urgently, now shifting from foot to foot.

"L'Right, Kenny. We're goin', we're goin'…" Solo muttered as his eyes looked to the sky to appraise the dimming light.

His gaze swung back to the machine. "Question is, how tha hell're we gonna shift that thing, n' where we gonna put it?" He puzzled.

Shin felt a swoop of relief that Solo had taken his plea into serious consideration.

He felt that everything was going to turn out just fine.

**000000**

_(Sorry to anyone that had trouble understanding the slang. I tried to keep it simple.)_


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me._

Oh this feels sooooo good to post! I lost my home internet a few months ago but now I've got it back. YES! I tried to post this chapter from a library computer but the stupid filter blocked the site saying : sexual content. Ha!

Well anyway, thank you for the reviews, nice to see familiar faces again. I thought you'd have given up on me by now, I'm useless at self-set deadlines.

In this chapter we see the switch between past and present. Duo Maxwell takes the forefront - finally.

I tweaked the Gundam timeline a bit. Everything is set in a made-up lull in the war that has lasted a few months, after Duo was rescued by Heero from Barge, but before the scientists are captured. Does that make sense? No? Oh well, it's fanfiction. Enjoy. ~ PFF

**000000**

**Chapter 11**

**000000**

8 years later…

* * *

_He was floating submerged in a thick blue liquid that was cool to the touch on his naked skin._

'_No… not again,' he mentally moaned in panic._

_He had a breathing apparatus mask over his mouth and nose, and a plastic tube down his throat. His mind felt disjointed and his body disconnected._

_His memory flashed forwards and suddenly he was lying on an ice cold table looking directly up into the sinister face of Gero, his domed glass skullcap showing a nauseating view of his floating brain. The Scientist was grave-faced in concentration as he put aside a blood-slicked scalpel and reached for a different instrument, bringing it back to the open-chest surgery laid out before him. _

'_It hurts…Oh god, it hurts so much…' He wanted to pass out from the horror of it. _

_He found the effort to twitch his fingers, which he could barely feel. His nails scraped uselessly against the smooth steel beneath him. No other body part would respond. He was paralysed, yet he could still feel every poke at his insides. The paralysis was only limited to his muscles, not pain receptors. His nerves were on overload, but he couldn't scream out his torment._

_A life support machine was the only thing keeping his rapid heart beating, and a tube down his throat pumped life-saving oxygen into his unresponsive body. _

_His watery eyes were helplessly fixed on the blinding overhead surgical lights, tears running unchecked as his body responded to the pain in the only outward way it could show._

_Gero noticed his small hand movement and frowned down at him, pausing in his procedure. He reached out of view and suddenly he was wielding a needle, which Gero displayed to him in warning. _

"_Can't have you moving, can we now," Gero said as he jammed the needle into the sensitive flesh of his bare throat, completely without care. "You could hurt yourself."_

_The vindictive sarcasm was obvious._

_His momentary freedom of movement was lost as the serum quickly went to work on his motor functions, firmly reinstating the boundary between mind and body._

_He was trapped in his own head, with nothing but pain and hysteria to keep him company._

_Then the pain faded into nothingness. He felt a momentary surge of relief that he released in a dry sob, until he realised that he was surrounded by nothingness. _

_He was all alone._

_The pitch-black darkness blanketed him stiflingly._

_It created a stone-cold empty silence, and the only sound distinguishable was that of his ragged short gasps for air and the pounding of his heartbeat._

_Four smooth and solid metal walls surround him on every side. He felt so confined in this small, cramped box. And it was hard to draw a proper breath with his knees wedged up under his chin, his thighs compressed against his chest, leaving little room to expand his lungs. It didn't help that the atmosphere was humid and stale._

_He was trapped like a caged animal but without the luxury of bars or a light source._

_The muffled silence was deafening. He hated silence more than anything else in the world._

_But then the silence broke and a maniacal laughter echoed out of the darkness, chilling him to the bone. The laughter continued, not pausing to draw breath, and suddenly he craved for the silence to return. The darkness now had a voice, and it was Gero's. _

_It laughed and taunted him mercilessly, until he felt something crack and shatter inside himself. _

_He screamed._

* * *

A fifteen-year-old boy woke with a start, gasping for breath and covered in a cold sweat.

His chestnut hair was in complete disarray, his yard long braid half-unravelled and lying on the mattress in a coiled mess, giving him a severe case of bed head.

His pillow was on the carpet floor and his bed sheets were tangled around his limbs, showing the extent of his tossing and turning during his latest nightmare.

The boy pushed himself upright in bed with trembling arms, and placed his face in his hands, trying to calm his hysteria and rid himself of the re-enacting vivid memories that refused to fade from his waking eyes.

The nightmare he had just relived was a mix of his worst memories, all from his short time with Gero.

The dream varied slightly every time to make him re-live other scarring memories, but the core of the dream was always the same, and it was frustratingly repetitive.

He'd been haunted by his nightmares all his life, and nothing he could pinpoint triggered them. They were random occurrences that he couldn't escape from, no matter how hard he tried to banish all thought of it.

He always woke up shaking with fear, short of breath and his heart pounding in his throat. The ghost of pain still lingered all over his body, as if he'd been beaten within an inch of his life, and tortured with a sharp knife. OZ had nothing on Gero.

"Duo," A voice called, grounding Duo to the present. His emerging awareness positioned him in a bedroom that was newly familiar to him, with dull cream furnishings.

The voice had come from over the other side of the decently sized room, where another single bed was positioned.

In the pale light of the moon from outside of the window, Duo could make out his comrade's blurry figure sitting up in bed and looking over at him.

The teenage boy's face was hidden in shadow so there was no distinguishable expression to see. Duo nervously wondered, his insides twisting with shame, how long his friend had been watching before he woke up.

"Yeah Heero?" Duo answered back, inwardly berating himself for letting his voice sound so weak and strained.

"You had another nightmare." Heero stated flatly.

Having been roommates on and off for the past few months, Heero was vaguely familiar with Duo's sleepless nights, yet Duo had never actually divulged the contents of his dream to him. Heero seemed to understand though.

It was an unspoken agreement that no questions were asked.

Glancing at the luminous numbers on the cheap plastic alarm clock that was sitting on his bedside cabinet he saw that it was 04.41am.

Deciding that it was pointless to try and gain some peaceful sleep this morning, Duo kicked away his sheets and staggered out of bed, making his way over to his clothes draws to pull out his usual black outfit.

"Go back to sleep, Heero." Duo sighed softly. "I'm going out for a walk. I won't keep you awake anymore."

There was a still pause from Heero's end, but then, "Be wary of any potential enemy and do not let yourself get caught out there. Don't rely on the idea that I will come to your aid. I won't." Heero replied in his usual flat-toned voice, before lying back down in bed to sleep, the distraction taken care of.

Duo held in another sigh and silently padded into the side bathroom, closing the door behind him and turning on the light.

It took a while for his eyes to adjust. He braced himself against the sink and stood staring into the small dusty mirror in front of him.

Weary cobalt eyes stared back. The usual spark of life that shone there had completely gone out, leaving empty blank pools. Dark circles were smudged underneath his eyes and his lightly tanned skin was pasty white.

If he had been in the mood he would have laughed at his appearance and compared himself to an extinct panda.

Pulling himself away from the mirror he stripped out of his black sweat dampened pyjamas. Duo glanced longingly at the shower, wishing he could take a nice long warm massage under the relaxing fall of water -but that would keep Heero awake so he had to settle for the welcoming thought of having one later.

He redressed in his well-known slim-fitting black pants and shirt with white collar. It was very similar to a priest's outfit, but that was the general idea. It was symbolic of his purpose and his past on the L-2 colony. He also constantly wore his small gold cross around his neck for the same reason.

Duo was not religious. Not by a long shot. He didn't believe in God. Why should he? All he had seen in his short life was misery and death. So it wasn't much of a surprise that he believed in the God of Death instead. It was like believing in himself because he had resurfaced his old name, Shinigami, when he had jumped headfirst into the war for Earth and the colonies.

But to everyone outside of battle he was known as Duo Maxwell.

It was a made up name of course, but it also carried unforgettable memories.

Giving one last disdainful look at himself in the mirror, Duo decided to redo his braid whilst outside. It would give him something to take his mind off things.

Turning off the light he stepped back out into the bedroom.

He pulled out his black combat boots from underneath his bed and sat down to lace them on; making sure his emergency dagger was fit snugly down the side. He also pulled out his handgun from beneath his pillow and tucked it in the back of his pant waistband. Just in case. It was better to be safe than sorry.

He mumbled a quick goodbye to his roommate, who he could tell was still awake and watching him closely. Duo didn't receive a reply and he wasn't expecting one.

Heero never spoke to him unless he thought it was completely necessary, and even then, very little was said.

It was Duo's private game to get Heero to open up more and show emotion, but so far had only achieved it in small steps. It took ages just to get Heero to admit they were actually friends. Step two was to get him to admit they were _best _friends. That was work in progress.

They were barely even friends. But Duo had always labelled a friend as someone that he trusted his life with, so that encircled Heero.

In truth they hardly knew each other, but Duo looked for trustworthy friends wherever he could find them, and he wasn't going to let them go after he'd found them. Heero had high potential, even if he was a bit stony and mission-minded.

Instead of leaving out of the bedroom door and through the house, he opted to take the easy way and jump out of the window to avoid waking his other three comrades that were sleeping in their separate rooms next door and across the hall.

Sliding the window frame up, he deftly leapt out, landing gracefully in a crouch on the grass two floors down, feeling shocks run up his legs.

Without looking back he walked into the surrounding forest and did what he was best at. Blending with the shadows, and then vanishing without a trace.

* * *

Heero watched Duo melt into the shadows from where he stood at the bedroom window.

He would never admit it, but he always felt disconcerted whenever the braided boy detached himself from everyone else after having a bad night.

Heero had experienced the sight of Duo tossing and turning, wrapped in his nightmare, only two times before. He couldn't be certain of how frequent they were because of the times they had to separate during missions on different hemispheres.

Whenever Duo started to turn in his sleep loud enough to wake him, he sat up and watched Duo thrash about and listening to him cry out in pain and fear.

It was none of his businesses. He should just leave him be.

But Heero always had a strange feeling deep down that he puzzled over at times like these. Seeing Duo in that state created the illusion of kinship. He could believe that they shared a torment filled past, a drawn-out present, and unclear future in this war. They were equals. Comrades.

Heero liked that feeling of belonging, so he tolerated Duo calling them friends. He didn't feel so overwhelmed by the war so long as he had someone's presence at his side. He didn't like being alone after being spoiled by companionship.

Unfortunately, the war often tore him away from the world around him. His assigned missions always required that he immerse himself in solitude.

The current situation with all of the Gundam pilots situated together was a first. They had never all met together outside of their Gundams before. Their superiors had termed it 'down-time'. A short break to regain their sanity.

Luckily, this was Duo's first nightmare of the week so far, and it seemed that his pillow-muffled screams hadn't woken anyone in the safe house but himself.

As far as Heero was aware, none of the other three pilots had any clue about Duo nightmares, but since the sensitive topic had never been brought up he couldn't be sure.

And Heero guessed that he was the only pilot that had ever seen Duo in the morning after a night episode. All the life seemed to drain out of him and he became a pale silent shadow. It was discomforting after being used to Duo's usual bright and passionate attitude to everything.

This morning wouldn't be any different, except all of the other pilots would be present to witness his eerie change.

Duo would come back in his own time, he always did. He usually resurfaced around 08.00am when the sun risen. Just in time for breakfast.

Heero closed the window, cutting off the morning chill from outside.

He moved back over to his bed, deciding that he should have at least a few hours sleep since he had spent the night awake and watching Duo.

It wouldn't be wise to lose sleep when an important mission could be assigned at any time. He would have to be in top physical condition.

Heero lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling until his eyes slowly closed and he drifted off into a light sleep.

* * *

Duo sat among the branches of a tall leafy tree watching the sun rise over the rolling hills of the beautiful landscape. The treetops of the forest looked like they were on fire in the orange glow of the sun.

He felt fairly calm and at more at ease now he was outside and listening to the chirping birds of dawn around him. It was quiet, but not silent.

It was perfect for just thinking, yet something niggled at him.

He could feel his heart constricting painfully with a strong emotion. Loneliness.

Duo hated feeling alone and cut off from the world. He thrived with company. Even his name suggested it. Duo, one of two.

But even when he was with his comrades he still felt as if something was missing; it just didn't feel quite right. He wasn't complete.

Memories of Dr. Gero dredged up memories of his family, his Earth, his Time…

_Stop it, stop thinking of the past. It's dead and gone…they're all dead and gone._ Duo scolded himself mentally.

He closed his eyes, trying to conjure the facade of peacefulness, and leant back against the tree's trunk with his legs dangling and arms behind his head, listening to the breeze rustling the leaves around him and feeling the waking summer sun's rays on his skin.

_This is my life now. I am Duo Maxwell of the L-2 Colony and I fight for the people of the Colonies. I'm giving my soul to protect the beauty of Earth and ensure freedom of the Colonists. This is my new life, new identity, and new purpose…_

Duo opened his eyes again to glimpse at the pale pink sky in wonder.

_This is what I'm fighting for…and I think it's worth it. _


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me._

Hi! You were right, the last chapter was too short, so here is a longer one. Thank you for the reviews everyone, I loved them. Hope you enjoy this, I worked hard to make their personalities believable. ~ PFF

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**Chapter 12**

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At around 09.00am, Duo strolled back towards the secluded safe house feeling slightly better. His hair had been neatly re-braided and he had absorbed as much fresh air as possible.

But he still couldn't find the effort to even pretend to be his usual cheery self this morning.

The pilots might ask questions and he didn't feel braced enough for them.

As he grasped the handle to open the front door he realised that it was locked and he had forgotten his key.

Typical.

In addition he didn't have his lock picks, so now he would have to knock, meaning that it would be impossible to sneak inside and up to his room without being noticed.

This was obviously going to be a bad day.

He rapped sharply on the door and waited for someone to answer and let him in.

In the seconds that he was sullenly standing there, he looked up at the safe house with a frown on his face.

It was the only rentable home in the area. There was nowhere inconspicuous enough to stay in the nearest town so they were stuck with the choice of either living it rough for a week in the wilderness by camping out, or making an offer with a rural property owner who was asking for quite a large sum of money.

It was a nice enough house. Really roomy with two floors, four bedrooms (meaning he was sharing with Heero), and two bathrooms. It had all the works. Nice furniture, with a wood cabin themed feel to everything. It was a good forest getaway home for city folk trying to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

The only problem Duo had, was with the man who had rented it to them.

Everything about him seemed to scream that he was a slimy soul. He was obviously a money grubber – the type to sell his own mother for a crisp cheque. But everyone had out voted him when it came down to the final choice.

They were all supposed stay at the house until further notice. No missions had been sent yet and it had been just under a week. This was practically like a well deserved holiday.

It was one of those rare moments where all of the five war comrades were together in the same house with nothing but spare time. Sadly there was no TV or stereo, so Duo had been entertaining himself by chatting constantly to anyone close enough to hear.

But not today. Today he just wanted to curl up into a silent ball, and hide away in his room with his thoughts.

As the front door finally opened, Duo knew instantly that it was not likely to happen.

Wufei stood in the doorway with his hand hovering over his hidden gun in the waistband of his loose white pants.

The Chinese teenager's onyx eyes quickly scanned over Duo's face and showed recognition. He relaxed minutely.

"Maxwell, what are you doing outside?"

That's Chang Wufei for you, straight to the point.

Duo didn't know Wufei very well, as they were rarely in contact, but Duo had learnt enough about the teenager to know that it was going to take an infinity amount of time and effort to gain his respect. Wufei had a prickly air about him that deflected most people, and his holier-than-thou attitude didn't do him any favours.

Duo couldn't be bothered to tread carefully around the uptight pilot today so Duo didn't even bother answering and pushed past him into the house.

Wufei blinked in surprise. He must have been shocked that Duo didn't come back with a witty comment or smile. Tough, he wasn't getting either.

"Maxwell, answer me!" Wufei snapped as he slammed the front door shut behind him.

Duo ignored him and glided like a ghost towards the stairs intending to go straight to his room, but Quatre stepped out into the hallway from the kitchen and blocked his path.

The aqua eyed, milky blond-haired Arabian boy gave him a serious look and Duo instantly deducted that his friend knew how he was feeling.

Quatre had never openly admitted it to him, yet he'd never hid it either, but he seemed to have the gift of being able to pick up other people's emotions, like an empath.

Duo didn't think that was such a hard concept to imagine. He knew that stranger things existed in this world.

Like himself, for example.

Besides, Quatre didn't come across as insane. He seemed highly intelligent and emotionally in tune. He also had a powerful aura about him that Duo had respected from their first meeting. Duo had come to notice this past week that all of the pilots respected him, and seemed to gravitate towards him in some way.

A quick look over his friend's appearance revealed to Duo that Quatre had experienced a restless night as well. Probably because he had been picking up Duo's emotions and it had kept him awake.

"Again?" Quatre asked softly, referring to the nightmares.

He was the only other person apart from Heero who knew about his disturbing dreams, but in this instance Quatre knew everything. Duo had blurted out the vague outline of his dreams to him when he'd been gently persuaded.

Quatre was probably his closest ally compared to all of the pilots, because second to Heero, he was the one other pilot that Duo had spent some time getting to know in detail. Besides, the Arabian boy was open and kind to everyone all of the time, so it was extremely hard to dislike him.

Quatre was also the only one that he could have a decent conversation with. Trying to chat with the other three pilots was like trying to squeeze blood out of a stone.

"Come and sit down in the kitchen and I'll make us both a coffee. That might manage to perk us up a bit." Quatre said soothingly, and without waiting for a response he had placed a loose hold on Duo's wrist and led him into the kitchen where he prompted him into sitting down at the table next to Trowa.

Trowa was drinking a glass of orange juice and reading yesterdays newspaper attentively. Half of his face was hidden behind his auburn sweeping spiky bang. The silent youth flicked his one visible forest green eye over Duo's weary face then returned to his newspaper, failing to change his neutral expression.

Trowa was a complete mystery to Duo. He knew next to nothing about him. He didn't even know for certain what nationality he was because he had no traceable accent or defining looks, but Duo had come up with the theory that the pilot was perhaps Latin American. Or maybe European? It was a toss up.

The green eyed teenager could easily be mistaken for a statue at times and he only spoke when directly spoken to, or when he had something important to say. Again, Duo had hardly bunked with him, and up until now there had barely been any time to get to know each other.

Quatre busied himself with the kettle as Wufei stomped into the kitchen glaring daggers at Duo.

Duo pretended not to notice and lowered his gaze, suddenly finding the wooden table surface very interesting to look at.

"What is your problem today, Maxwell?" Wufei barked as he banged his fist down on the table, making the orange juice in Trowa's glass slop over the side and for the salt shaker to fall over.

"Leave him alone, Wufei." Quatre ordered sternly.

The Shenlong pilot paused to consider Quatre's tone, but he didn't take the advice and opened his mouth to speak again.

Duo chose that moment to raise his head and give him a frosty glare that usually stopped most people in their tracks.

Wufei's anger diminished on the spot, only to be replaced by bewilderment. He took a step back to scrutinise him with his brows drawn down into a frown.

Duo let his gaze fall back down to the table and he began to absentmindedly trace the grain patterns with his fingers. He couldn't be bothered with Wufei's unstable temper and sharp tongue, so hopefully that had put a stopper on it.

"Here you go Duo, drink up, it might help." Quatre offered as he placed a steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of him and then sat down in the nearest chair with his own beverage.

Wufei collected a glass of water from the tap then sat down opposite Duo, not taking his acute gaze off him.

A tense silence filled the room but Quatre was the first to break it.

"Duo, was it the same one?"

This simple question probably seemed cryptic to Trowa and Wufei, but Duo understood perfectly.

"Yeah." he breathed out dully.

Quatre nodded, deep in thought as he sipped his coffee.

"I know that it is none of my business, but may I ask what you are talking about?" Wufei questioned quite politely, but with an annoyed edge.

"Nothing impor-" Quatre started, trying to protect Duo secret and save him his pride, but Duo was beyond caring who knew and cut him off bluntly.

"Nightmares."

The tension in the room intensified even more and he seemed to have the attention of everyone.

Trowa folded his newspaper neatly and placed it down on the table before re-fixing his gaze on the braided boy once more.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked calmly.

"No." Duo shot back instantly, slightly disappointed that he had to pass by the chance to have a serious talk with Trowa. But he didn't feel comfortable discussing his deepest darkest memories with anyone else.

He had only originally told Quatre because the blonde pilot was inadvertently sharing his feelings, so there was a close connection between the both of them…plus he had asked really nicely. It was hard to tell Quatre to piss off when he asked anything nicely. Duo sometimes got annoyed with Quatre always trying to emotionally deconstruct him in a similar fashion to how you would take a toaster apart to see how it works, but it felt like too much effort to fight against the blond's therapist tendencies.

Duo picked up his mug and downed the scalding contents in a few gulps, then slammed it back down on the table and sat back in his chair folding his arms in a protective manner in front of his chest.

"Grow up, Maxwell, and get over it," Wufei said coolly, "There is no reason to act like a poor tormented soul. Nightmares are not real."

Duo gave a low vibrating growl in the back of his throat and narrowed his eyes angrily. He was about to snap back but at that precise moment Heero strode into the kitchen carrying his laptop and looking determinedly focused.

He placed the open laptop on the table in front of Duo so he could read the screen.

"We have a mission." Heero stated, locking his Prussian blue eyes on Duo intensely.

"We? As in the both of you?" Quatre asked curiously, leaning to his left to look at the email message over Duo's shoulder. It was odd for partnered missions to be scheduled, and it usually meant that it was going to be tough to complete.

Duo carefully stored away all of the vital information needed in his mind as his eyes flicked over the screen. Yes, it was definitely a two-man job, and yes it was going to be difficult.

Heero recited the basic outline almost robotically. "01 and 02 only. No Gundams involved. Maximum stealth required to retrieve highly classified computer files. Destroy base afterwards by detonation."

Quatre gave a very concerned frown as he read the statistics on the OZ military base they would be infiltrating. "No Gundams? That's risky. The success rate is less than 60% because the chance of being spotted by base personnel is high…and they are well equipped with weapons. At least it's not too far from here, so we'll be on hand if you need us."

Duo just gave a careless shrug. He wasn't worried.

Together he and Heero made the best team. They could accomplish anything with teamwork. Heero's computer hacking skills and raw strength, and Duo's stealth and speed were perfect for this mission, so it seemed highly unlikely that they would fail.

Usually he would have voiced out his thoughts to reassure everyone, but the words felt stuck in his throat today.

Heero continued to speak instead, which was a nice change.

"We leave at 6.00pm precisely. It will take an hour to get to the base by car."

Duo glanced at the clock on the wall and noted that they had nine and a half hours to prepare since it was only 08.30am. That was plenty of time to steal a car from the nearby city, and to make a few sets of C4 and detonators, and to go over the plans thoroughly.

He cast an understanding nod in Heero's direction and pushed the laptop away.

Heero looked over him sceptically as he reclaimed his computer.

"Are you up to this mission?" he asked seriously. "It could be hazardous to the both of us if you are sleep deficient and not as quick to react."

"I'm fine," Duo answered truthfully.

"Hn." Was Heero's acknowledgement as he turned and exited the kitchen to go back upstairs.

"Duo, I think you should have something to eat." Quatre suggested kindly. "I can make you something if you want it?"

"Thanks for offering Quatre, but I can scavenge it myself," Duo returned with a small thankful smile. The thought of food suddenly brightened his mood considerably.

He scraped back his chair and rose to his feet, heading towards the cabinets in search of something edible, announcing, "I'm hungry."

"As usual." Wufei muttered under his breath. Duo didn't take it personally. He was a growing Saiyan with a high metabolism, so what?

Gathering a box of cornflakes, a bowl, a spoon, and bottle of milk from the refrigerator, he turned back towards the kitchen table, balancing all the items precariously.

He stopped dead in his tracks and drew a sharp intake of breath as his ki senses flared into life.

Four VERY high power levels assaulted his mind all at once and everything he was carrying fell from his numb grasp as his hands shot up to clutch his head, wave upon wave of pain shooting through his skull.

All of his senses blurred, his hearing became muffled, and it felt like the world around him was spinning.

He pushed past the pain and forced himself to focus on the power levels. He instinctively knew that if he fixated his mind on them he could attune his senses and dull the pain. It was a similar experience to conditioning his eyes against a light being switched on, after being isolated in the dark for a long time.

With agonisingly slow progress, he adjusted to the power levels, and the severe pain dimmed to just a throbbing ache at the back of his mind.

His thoughts were still a jumbled mess and it was hard to string them together.

_I know two of those ki powers, I recognise them. I know who they are…but that can't be right, they're dead in this time…unless they followed me…but why now? Why eight years too late? It can't be them…it just can't…_

The muffled sounds around him slowly became coherent words, and he finally realised that someone was shouting his name close by.

He forcefully drew himself back to reality and found his back was pressed against the kitchen sink, and someone was shaking him roughly by the shoulders. Duo's eyes refocused and he found himself staring blankly into aqua eyes. It was Quatre.

The blond standing in front of him was frantic with worry.

"Duo! Duo, answer me! What's wrong? DUO!"

"Snap out of it Maxwell!"

That was Wufei's voice coming from his right, using anger to mask his worry.

"We can't help you until we know what's wrong, Duo."

That was Trowa's voice on his left. Concerned, but calm and rational as usual.

"What's going on? What's wrong with him?"

Heero had arrived on the scene.

Quatre's hand slapped him across the face before he could register the blond's intent to shock him out of his paralytic state.

Duo's jaw clenched in surprise.

Quatre raised his hand again.

"OW!" Duo blurted in delayed reaction to fend him off.

"Duo, are you OK?" Quatre asked hopefully, still gripping Duo's shoulder painfully tight with one hand. For such a gentle looking guy he sure had a firm hold.

"Y- Yeah, I'm fine…" Duo belatedly realised that his hands were still pressed to either side of his skull to relieve the pressure, so he cautiously lowered his arms and pushed away from the sink, forcing everyone to take a step back and give him space. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked around at the faces of his comrades.

All of them surrounded him, staring in wide-eyed concern. Yes, even Heero looked concerned, in that funny way he showed it, by trying to drill his stare into your head in an attempt to understand.

"You don't look fine." The Wing pilot frowned in disapproval.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Quatre said worriedly, taking in Duo's chalk white complexion.

"More like I've just felt one…" Duo corrected still feeling lightheaded.

When Quatre presented him with and odd look, it was only then that he realised what he had just said.

"Never mind, I'm still a bit disorientated." He waved it off. "I'm fine, really. It was just a sudden headache that caught me off guard, sorry if I spaced out on you all."

Well it wasn't a lie…He just wouldn't explain what had caused the headache in the first place.

"You're sure?" Trowa asked.

"Positive." He flashed them a quick reassuring smile to dispel anymore questions.

"Okay then, Maxwell, if you really are fine then you can clean up the mess you just made." Wufei ordered, giving one last failed look of indifference before turning heel and walking out of the kitchen.

_What mess?_ He looked down at the tiled kitchen floor. _Oh, that mess._

The bottle and bowl he'd dropped had shattered on impact with the ground, and the milk and cereal had spilled around his feet. Good job he'd been in his shoes, and not his socks.

Without thinking, due to his hazy mind, Duo bent down and started to scoop up the soggy mess with his hands, but quickly pulled his right hand back reflexively as a shard of glass sliced into his palm.

"What do you think you're doing?" Quatre asked in exasperation as he pulled Duo upright and gently pushed him back into his chair at the table.

"You don't look very well, you should sit and rest. I'll clean up this mess instead.

And look, you've cut your hand; I'll have to clean that up too…."

Duo just watched Quatre drag over a broom and sweep up the fragments of his breakfast with detached interest. His full attention was still on the ki levels.

They were too far away to be on Earth. They were located in the direction of the L-2 colony, but they were still powerful enough to sense while in space. He was reminded of the time Freeza arrived on Earth from space, except this time the presences' felt neutral, containing no malicious intent.

There were two very powerful levels, and two smaller ones that were still way over an average human's level.

_I recognise who the two most powerful ki's are…Gohan and Mirai. It's pretty hard to forget them…but I don't think I know the other two. One of the smaller signatures feels almost identical to Mirai, but at the same time it's completely different. I don't understand, and this headache isn't helping at all! _

"Duo, are you even listening to a word Trowa is saying?"

Blinking in surprise, Duo found Quatre crouching in front of him and carefully bandaging his wounded hand.

"Hm? Oh sorry Tro, what were you saying?"

Trowa frowned mildly before repeating himself.

"Since we no longer have any cereal, would you like toast instead?"

"Er, no thanks, I'm not hungry."

"But Duo, just a moment ago you said that you were hungry." Quatre gave him a puzzled look.

"I've changed my mind."

"But-" The Arabian boy spluttered, all set to argue the importance of food.

"Drop it Q. I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat something." Heero said sternly. "If you don't you will not be on top form for the miss-"

"God Heero! Can't you even care about anything other than the mission?" Duo burst out angrily.

"I'm only looking out for your life. Careless mistakes can get you killed." Heero replied icily with narrowed eyes.

Duo slumped in his seat, too distracted and emotionally stressed to argue back.

He was startled when a hand reached out and placed itself on his forehead.

"Oh Duo, you have a slight temperature." Quatre concluded and quickly withdrew his hand. "You must be ill."

"That's it, I'm contacting Doctor J and rescheduling tonight's mission. You are obviously unable to carry out the task in your current condition." Heero evaluated and turned to leave the room.

Duo snarled and jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over backwards.

"I'm fine! Why can't any of you just believe me? I want everyone to just, LEAVE. ME. ALONE!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Everyone froze and stood staring at him in shock.

"I'm going out to get a car, I'll be back in an hour." Duo growled through gritted teeth as he pushed past the three stunned pilots to stomp out of the kitchen.

For good measure he slammed the door behind him, causing the house foundations to quake.

"Maxwell," a voice called from the living room couch.

Duo looked up in time to catch the small object thrown at him. He opened his hand and saw that the object was a silver house key.

"Thanks, Wufei." Duo mumbled as he walked out of the front door and closed it behind him.

If he had looked back he would have seen Wufei's expression of pure disbelief at the correct usage of his name.

* * *

Wufei watched Maxwell leave, feeling as if he'd been smacked in the face.

From the moment of introduction, Maxwell had disrespectfully abbreviated his name to Fei, and it had only evolved from there. The braided pilot relished in coming up with new infuriating mutilations of his name to call him whenever they met up again.

Wufei's guess was that Maxwell could sense how much the name-abuse riled him, and he seemed to thrive on that sense of danger that came from poking a sleeping dragon.

He'd been sure until moments ago that Maxwell was acting peculiar just to gain attention.

But then again Wufei had never seen him so… subdued before.

He had managed to give everyone a fright in the kitchen, when he had acted as if in pain and shock.

He hadn't responded to anyone for just under a minute. For 50 unsettling seconds, he'd withdrawn so far into himself that nothing could break through.

It was unnatural.

Feeling unnerved once again, Wufei quickly got up off the couch and strode into the kitchen to seek a second opinion. This needed discussing.

When he opened the door he saw the kitchen occupants moving sluggishly to recover from Maxwell's outburst.

Quatre was listlessly pour his half-finished coffee down the sink, and Trowa was righting a knocked over chair, his movements stiff. Heero was standing with his back against the fridge, arms folded, with a dark look of contemplation on his face. The oppressive silence was heavy.

"He said my name," Wufei blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Trowa turned to ask in confusion. Heero and Quatre's attention snapped to Wufei.

"Maxwell just called me my given name." He rephrased slowly. "Do you know how uncharacteristic that is?"

The information sunk in and the other three pilots exchanged uneasy glances.

"Oh dear, we have a problem," Quatre said quietly. "I've never seen Duo this bad before."

They all came together into the centre of the kitchen to base themselves in a loose circle of conversation.

"He has acted in a similar manner before, but not to this extent," Heero admitted. "In the months that I've come to know him, I have noticed that his personality switches for a few hours after he has had a restless night. Then by about midday he returns to his usual self, if not a little more quiet and downcast than normal."

"It's because of his nightmares isn't it?" Quatre asked knowingly.

"You know about those?" Heero asked sharply.

"I've known for some time. How could I not know when I can tell how much pain he's in?" he replied, rubbing at his heart and looking distressed.

"They are only nightmares," Wufei said placidly. "It's nothing to get worked up over."

"You don't know anything!" Quatre snapped. Everyone looked at him in surprise, and even Quatre, after a shocked pause, looked bemused at what he had just done.

"Oh I'm sorry Wufei; I seem to be channelling Duo's mood swing. I didn't mean that."

"Its fine," Wufei flicked off his bewilderment and excused him.

"Duo's nightmares aren't… _normal. _They feel different." Quatre continued uncomfortably. "You all know of my ability to sense strong emotions, correct?"

They all nodded the affirmative.

"Well, if I'm sleeping close by during one of his nightmares, I pick up flashes of his feelings…. But whilst sleeping I don't usually accept transmissions so easily. I shut myself off from the outside world. Only extreme emotions, such as fear and pain, can penetrate my protective state, and the terrible thing is that Duo has succeeded on more than one occasion. I've never known Duo to be scared of anything before, but in his nightmares he's terrified! And after what he's told me I can't blame him."

"What did he tell you?" Heero asked, fighting to keep a look of curiosity off his face. Wufei's interest was peaked as well.

"He explained his dreams to me one early morning many months ago when we were together out in the desert. Both of us had had restless nights, so I sat with Duo and we had a long talk. He refused to go into detail, but I understood well enough to know the torment he goes through every so often. He also revealed that he's been having the same repetitive nightmare for the past _eight years_."

Wufei felt his eyebrows shoot up in disbelief at that small piece of information.

"Eight years? That is not psychologically possible." Wufei returned, "Unless it's not just a normal fabricated nightmare. It would have to be based on fact and past trauma."

Quatre's eyes widened in horror as he thought that over. "Allah, no, don't let it be true…" He whispered fearfully. "Oh Gods, poor Duo…"

"Tell us what the nightmares contain," Trowa tried to coax the blonde standing in front of him.

"I can't, it would betray Duo's trust," Quatre replied stubbornly, "He would never forgive me."

"Did he tell you who Dr. Gero was?" Heero questioned.

"How do you know about him? Has Duo ever told you about his nightmare?"

"No," Heero's expression darkened, "I left him to his own business, but I can't help overhearing when he talks and thrashes around in his sleep."

"You mean you let him sleep through the nightmares, when you could have woken him up?" Quatre's eyes flashed dangerously.

Heero ignored him and continued with his previous question. "He mentioned the name Dr. Gero. Who is he?"

Quatre gave up on his anger, as it was obvious Heero was not fazed.

"He never told me exactly who he was; just that he was someone who was prominent in his early life. He spoke with vehemence in his voice whenever the name was mentioned though. From what I was told, he's the man in the nightmare who's experimenting on Du-"

Quatre slapped a hand over his mouth looking mortified as he accidentally let slip some vital information.

"Experimenting?" Wufei repeated in concern.

"Don't tell him I told you!" Quatre said fretfully, his expression upset and guilt-stricken.

Trowa, Wufei and Heero looked at each other, understanding that the situation was far worse than previously thought. Heero turned away with a deep thoughtful frown on his face.

"Does anyone actually know anything about Maxwell's past?" Wufei asked cautiously.

It was a guess that none of the pilots knew anything of each other's pasts as it was personal information. But then again, perhaps Wufei the only one left out of their information sharing circle. He hadn't tried to get to know any of them.

Wufei had to assume that Maxwell had spoken to one of the pilots about his past at some point, because he loved to talk.

He knew nothing but the Deathsythe pilot's name, but that was because he had never had a decent conversation with the braided boy. Wufei had observed from afar his tendency for useless chatter, so he had vigilantly avoided him.

"I know that he used to live on L-2 before he came to Earth." Quatre supplied.

Trowa shifted his weight to his other foot and folded his arms as faced the group expressionlessly. "Once when Duo was questioning if I had a family, I asked the same question in return," the calm pilot spoke softly. "He became uncomfortable and informed me that he's an orphan, then changed the topic hastily."

"Oh, I never knew that…" Quatre said sadly.

"Anything else?" Wufei prompted.

Quatre and Trowa shook their heads, and so they all turned to look expectantly at Heero.

"I can't find any trace of a Duo Maxwell ever existing." Heero said sounding slightly perturbed. "The only file I managed to uncover was the one Professor.G made a few years ago. It just stated that Duo was first discovered at the age of twelve, as a stowaway on a Sweepers ship that had left the L-2 space dock a week before. From then on Duo became a crew member and he was taken in for training. In later reports with added video footage, Duo revealed to G that he had lived on the streets of L-2 for quite a few years. Other than that no one knows anything about him."

_The mystery of Duo Maxwell is growing by the minute._ Wufei mused. _That is, if his name is really Duo Maxwell._

"Why didn't you inform us of this, Yuy?" Wufei asked in mild surprise. "That information is highly important. Pilot 02 could be the enemy in disguise for all we know." Wufei folded his arms, his stance demanding.

The Prussian eyed boy shot Wufei a glare.

"It was pointless knowledge. Only you and Quatre out of the five of us have real names and birth dates. More to the point, do you really believe that Duo would betray any of us? I've deemed Duo as no threat to us, and I've been analysing him closely for a long time now, so trust my judgement."

Wufei decided not to provoke Heero any further by commenting back. Besides, it was true that he didn't really believe that Maxwell was the type of person to betray them.

"What were his medical records like?" Quatre asked, almost reluctantly, as if he didn't really want to hear the answer.

"I found no evidence that Duo has ever been experimented on if that is what you are asking." Heero replied. "But there was hardly any information to go by. I found no medical statistics. Not even a blood type. Only his height and weight are occasionally recorded."

"That cannot be possible," Wufei frowned as his confusion mounted. "It is basic procedure during training to receive a health check every month…or at least it was in my case."

"Yes, it was procedure for all of us." Heero carried on. "The reports state that Duo blatantly refused to go near any Doctor or medical scientist. At his first health check he resorted to violent measures to escape a basic blood test." Heero's brow furrowed further as he recited his knowledge. "Even an attempt to sedate him didn't work. He managed to fight off the sleeping effects as if it was nothing, yet the Doctor had accidentally given him an overdose that should have killed him. He walked away unscathed whereas the Doctor involved ended up in hospital for two weeks. After that, Professor.G was forced to admit defeat and he gave up trying to get Duo to take tests. Duo was pleased, Professor.G was certainly not. "

"Are you sure that's right?" Quatre asked with wide aqua eyes.

"Look over the reports yourself if you want proof." Heero fixed his cool gaze on him. "I also researched the name Dr. Gero." The Wing pilot said in a low voice, "I thought that it might have once been an alias for Professor.G, but I found no evidence to suggest so. My theory was left inconclusive."

"So basically, we still know nothing about Duo?" Trowa asked.

"Correct."

Wufei let out a sigh of annoyance. This conversation wasn't getting them anywhere.

"Have you tried questioning him directly?" He asked Heero.

The other pilot threw yet another frosty glare at him.

"Of course. I've tried on more than one occasion. He's always succeeded in diverting the topic onto something else, avoiding the original question."

One of the most infuriating traits that Maxwell owned was to be able to talk himself out of almost any situation.

Wufei had detected that he had a natural talent when it came to talking. He could easily gain the trust of anyone because he seemed so open and honest about everything.

It came in handy for anything related to the war, but whenever it came down to anything outside of the war - basic house chores for instance - he always managed to worm his way out of the situation somehow.

To his amusement, Wufei could imagine Heero's attempted questioning.

Heero would have asked a straightforward question and Maxwell would have gone off on a tangent about anything and everything _but_ the answer to the question.

Before Heero would have become aware of what had happened, the topic would have changed completely. So when the longwinded conversation finally finished, Heero would have walked away without even realising (until much later) that he never received an answer to his original question.

Maxwell was an expert. No question about it if he could outsmart Heero Yuy, the supposed Perfect Soldier.

"Winner, why don't you try? He seems to open up to you more than any of us." Wufei finally suggested.

Quatre shook his head adamantly. "No, I won't do it. If he doesn't want to tell us then that's up to him."

"Wait for him to come to us with the information." Trowa said wisely.

"But if he hasn't divulged the information to us yet, he may never do it at all," Wufei argued back. "Maxwell needs encouragement and I think Winner is the best man for the mission."

Wufei purposely threw in the word 'mission' to try and spark Heero's interest, but the Japanese pilot didn't take the bait.

"No questioning him any further, agreed?" Heero looked directly at Wufei, trying to glare him into submission.

Wufei glowered as he recognised defeat.

"OK, just act natural around Duo when he returns," Quatre advised. "No directly questioning him, or even hinting in the slightest, and defiantly not a word about this conversation."

With agreeing nods, everyone went their separate ways and carried on with their daily routines.

Quatre moved to clean the cups he had placed in the kitchen sink, Heero disappeared back upstairs, and Trowa settled on the living room couch with his face buried in a book.

Wufei went straight up to his single bedroom to find peace and quiet where he could meditate and ponder more over the enigma that was Duo Maxwell.

* * *

Duo cursed as he stomped up to the safe house nursing several burnt fingertips, with a black rucksack slung casually over his shoulder that he had retrieved from his Gundam, which was hidden deep in the forest.

He had stupidly been lacking attention whilst hot-wiring a car on the outskirts of the nearest city and had paid for it dearly when he received a nasty electrical burn from a static spark.

Still, he had succeeded in possessing a sleek, yet practical black sports car. Very nice.

He had parked it a short distance away in the forest so if it was discovered or traced at all, the house would still remain hidden and none of them would be suspected of grand theft auto.

For the past hour Duo had been trying to look on the bright side of things, and it seemed to be working. His mood had improved greatly and mostly all of his crankiness had drained out of him.

Well, sure, he had become a bit overly stressed at the city traffic and on a separate occasion he'd nearly run over a few pedestrians because they were annoying him. Save from that, he was slowly improving his temper control.

But all of the time his mind was subconsciously following the four specific ki signatures in space.

His mind and body were functioning separately causing him to make clumsy mistakes every so often, but he couldn't help it.

It was hard to concentrate when it felt like someone was physically poking at his brain through a hole in his skull. It was distracting.

Duo had noticed recently that the group of four was slowly moving closer to Earth, meaning that they must have left the L-2 Colony.

A few temporally unanswerable questions ran through his head in a constant cycle.

_Are they coming for me?_ _If they are, what do I say? Would a casual, 'Hi how ya doing? Long time no see,' be good enough? Are they here to take me home? _

_Home… Where do I belong? Past or future? _

Shaking his thoughts away Duo pulled out the front door key from his pocket, silently thanking Wufei. He slid it into the lock and opened the door, then stealthily stepped inside hoping to go unnoticed by his comrades.

He didn't want to face any of them as he shamefully remembered his earlier tantrum and how he had blown up in their faces like a short fused dynamite stick.

Sadly, Lady Luck was not with him today because Trowa looked up at him from his position on the living room couch.

"How did it go?" the green eyed boy asked.

Duo paused in surprise.

Trowa hardly ever asked a direct question that was pointless and seen as small talk.

"Er…fine." Duo answered.

"That's good." Trowa replied and shifted his attention back to his book.

"Yeah…I guess it is…" Duo said slowly as he edged away from the couch towards the kitchen with a frown on his face.

With one last puzzled glance at Trowa, Duo darted into the kitchen - only to find Quatre in there, much to his dismay.

The Arabian pilot was sitting at the spotless kitchen table mindlessly staring into space and sipping a fresh cup of tea, but as soon as he saw Duo enter the room he looked up and forced an obviously strained smile onto his face.

"Hello Duo,"

"Hi,"

"So…How did it go?"

_This feels slightly familiar. _He tried not to roll his eyes.

"Fine,"

"That's good."

_Why are they acting so weird? Are Trowa and Quatre working as a double team in an attempt to creep me out? 'Cause it's working!_

"Um…bye." Duo said hastily as he backed out of the kitchen.

He made a mad dash up the stairs before Trowa could open his mouth again, but he didn't quite manage to make it to the safety of his own room.

He found the landing blocked by Wufei, who had just exited his own room.

"So you're back in one piece?" the Chinese teenager asked.

Something about the way he said it sounded slightly out of place. His voice didn't hold the usual derision that Duo was used to hearing.

Firstly, Trowa was acting out of character by virtually chatting. Then Quatre was acting closed off and tense. Now Wufei was acting almost…nice.

Something was seriously wrong with this picture.

Not giving him a chance to say anything, Wufei offhandedly asked, "How did it go?"

Something snapped inside of Duo and he suddenly lost his grip on the temper control he had been working on for the past hour.

"Oh I can't believe this!" He complained loudly. "Not you too, Wu! Will all of you lot stop acting weird? It's freakin' me out!"

Wufei had obviously not expected an answer like that so he looked on in confusion.

"You can stop treating me like glass right this instant buster, and you can tell that to everyone else as well! Unless you want a thermal scythe shoved up where the sun don't shine, I suggest you all learn to stop tiptoeing around me like I might shatter if you handle me wrong!"

He stood toe to toe with Wufei, their faces only inches apart by the end of his rant.

Wufei blinked dumbfounded.

Duo poked the other pilot in the chest as a threat and then swept past him into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Again he found himself not alone. Heero was at his computer.

The moment Duo crossed the threshold into the bedroom, Heero moved quickly and tapped the escape key. Duo caught a glimpse of the computer card game Solitaire on the screen before it disappeared and was replaced by a mission report document.

Even though Duo was once again in a foul mood he felt the corners of his mouth twitching as the muscles strained to make a smile.

He had long since know about Heero's secret, but he still found it amusing that the Perfect Soldier played computer games in his spare time instead of working solidly like the other pilots thought.

It made him seem much more human.

And such a computer geek.

Duo groaned as he collapsed onto his bed face first, burying his face in his pillow.

Heero turned in his seat to look at him and was about to speak when Duo cut him off, turning his head slightly so the sheets didn't muffle his voice.

"Don't you dare ask, 'How did it go?' because if I'm asked that question one more time I'm going to be forced to hurt someone."

He said it lightly but with an undertone of serious warning.

"I wasn't going to ask that," Heero replied calmly. "I was going to ask, have you got everything you need to make the detonators? Because we are going to need four at least to bring the base down."

"Oh. Well I think I do," Duo sat up, shrugged off his backpack and opened it to peer in at the contents. "Yup, I've got everything. I picked up all of the parts I needed when I made a pit-stop at Deathscythe out in the woods."

Heero nodded and turned back to his laptop signalling the end of the conversation.

Duo gave a deep sigh then got up off the bed and trudged towards the door dragging his rucksack across the floor behind him.

He was going to have to leave the protection of his room to go sit in the kitchen for the next few hours since it was the best place in the house to make C4 and detonators.

Quatre was probably still in there though, Wufei was lurking somewhere in the house, and he would have to go past Trowa again, risking unwanted meaningless conversation. The tables sure had turned.

_Personal Mission: Avoid useless confrontation_ _at all costs and designate all pilots out of kitchen… _It sounded hard, but it was doable.

"Hey Heero, I'll be done in an hour or two, so we can go over the mission plan with the other guys afterwards, OK?"

Heero didn't show any sign that he had heard but Duo could tell that he was listening.

"Right then, I'll let you get back to your secret game of Solitaire, see ya later."

Heero's head snapped up in surprise as he registered what Duo had said, but by that time the braided pilot had already closed the bedroom door behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me._

Ok, I deserved those angry reviews. SORRY! I'm not going to spew out the list the reasons why I haven't posted in ages because we'd all be here forever. Hello to my new readers (if you're still hanging on), thank you for the favs, alerts and reviews. And just for the benefit of my anonymous pissedfan...I'm ALIVE!

Do you know how hard this chapter was to write? Have you ever tried to break into an army base? No? Neither have I. So you can imagine how mind-blowingly difficult it was to write the scenario realistically without making it too complex. I've combed this for mistakes, but I'm bound to have missed some because my eye sight is blurry from staring at my screen too long, so point out anything you see wrong. Thanks! Next chapter will be out soon. ~PFF

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**Chapter 13**

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After a long and boring day of careful mission planning with Quatre and Heero, Duo and his partner were ready to put the plan into action without any doubt.

Everything was set to go. Duo had crammed his black rucksack with explosives, tools and a wide selection of weapons, whilst Heero was only lightly armed and carried the disks to transfer the data off the OZ computer mainframe.

Just before they left, Quatre had insisted in fussing over them both and gave a valiant attempt at trying to persuade them to drop this particular mission saying that he had a 'bad feeling' about it.

Of course Heero point blank refused to even consider the idea. Duo had to spend a long time trying to convince their blond comrade that it was too late to change their minds since the mission had already been accepted and that nothing could deter Heero whilst he was in soldier mode.

Short goodbyes and good luck's were passed around between the five pilots before Duo got behind the wheel of the black sports car and sped off towards the base, with Heero at his side, constantly ridged and silent as ever.

Heero was no fun.

The hour-long car journey was boring and tedious. If Duo wasn't the one driving, and if he didn't have access to the car radio, then he would have fallen asleep at the wheel in his cushy leather seat.

They finally arrived about a mile from the base perimeter and parked the car in a hidden shady spot under a cascading leafed tree, off to the side of the main dirt road.

The surrounding area was surrounded by dense woodland, so it was a tough hike through the wilderness to reach the outer fence. They reached their desired co-ordinates at precisely 7.12pm, meaning that they were 12 minutes over schedule much to Heero's dissatisfaction.

It was Quatre's fault for holding them back, so Duo wasn't sure why Heero seemed to blame him. Heero always blamed him first for everything. Nothing was ever Quatre's fault.

_Sweet innocent Quatre. He could get away with murder… _Duo mentally snorted._ Oh yeah, he does 'cause he's a Gundam pilot._

"You do know what you're doing?" Heero pivoted in his low crouch to stare intensely at him, his eyes dark in the shadow of the trees.

Duo sighed in annoyance as he slid his bag off his bag and deposited it on the mossy forest floor bed they were knelt on. "Yes Hee- er, 01."

He'd almost slipped up and said Heero's name but caught himself at the last second.

For Heero, Trowa and Duo, use of their everyday names meant nothing to the enemy, as their identities were false and they had no ties to any family. But Quatre Winner and Chang Wufei's names could be traced, and their families could be used against them in an attempt to make them surrender. Or in the worst case scenario, they could be killed in retaliation. The Gundam pilots had a lot of enemies that would be very eager to enact revenge by any means.

Codenames were a lot safer. Heero was 01, Duo 02, Trowa 03, Quatre 04, and last but not least Wufei as 05.

OZ had given them those numbers as identification for their Gundams because they didn't know the real names of the machines nor the pilots, but the five scientists had agreed to take up the idea as their own.

Duo was still getting to grips with the codenames, and it was more out of concern for Wufei and Quatre that he was trying to get into the habit of using them by calling Heero 01, even when it wasn't really needed.

To the average person, it would look like they were trying to break into an abandoned pre-colony auxiliary airfield. It consisted of two large decrepit, but sturdy steel aircraft hangers, and a modest runway for light plane takeoff. Plant life was pushing its way up out of the cracks in the worn concrete, and the outer fence was rusty and collapsing in places. It looked like it hadn't been maintained for some years, and it certainly looked unoccupied.

But appearances could be deceiving.

Satellite surveillance had picked up activity in the area, such as unmarked military trunks travelling the only road to the airfield and unloading supplies. Enough supplies to support an average sized military base.

Thermal imagery also showed a high concentration of activity within the two hangers.

Yet the hangers were not large enough to hold an entire military base operation. The only logical conclusion was that the base was underground.

The five scientists had caught the scent of a new secret operation that was trying to remain below the radar.

Use of contacts and nosing around had unearthed a mobile doll production facility that specialised in new technology and programming.

Further pushing had revealed that they were currently working on creating a faster and deadlier doll program that could cause future problems for the resistance.

The mission Heero and Duo had been appointed was to enter the base without alerting anyone, so as to keep the base unsuspecting. OZ was currently overconfident that they were undiscovered, and so security was bound to be lax.

Once inside, Duo and Heero had to find their way to the bases' main computer lab, where all of the important files were hidden away.

It was Heero's job to hack into the system and steal all of the present files and then delete all trace of them from OZ's network, whilst Duo skulked around the base planting large wads of highly explosive C4.

Going by the floor plan of the base that the scientists had generously given, the best areas to set the explosives were in Flight Hanger 1 and 2, the computer lab, the main plant room, and finally the ammunitions store room. The last explosion would cause one heck of a huge volatile bonfire with amazing fireworks.

If all went well, then they would meet up in Hanger 2, and sneak back out without being detected at all. From there they'd hop back into the car hidden in the woods, and burn rubber until they were far away enough to remote detonate the C4 and enjoy the fantastic view of the OZ base exploding.

It sounded fun whilst planning it all out, but now that it was happening for real, Duo felt full of jittery energy, just like he always did whilst carrying out a dangerous mission.

People were going to die. He hated that, but it was necessary for the outcome of the war. Duo just hoped that it wouldn't be Heero or himself biting the bullet.

Duo pulled out his handy pair of wire cutters from his rucksack and began to carefully clip away at the frail chain fence.

To Duo this part was laughably easy compared to breaking into any other base.

With the need to remain inconspicuous, OZ had shot themselves in the foot. Almost all OZ bases had infer-red security cameras, electrified fences with barbed wire, and routine patrol perimeter checks, as standard.

There was no perimeter security here because that would have been too obvious.

The old fence did nothing but ward away curious civilians that had no serious will to trespass; there was no decent defence at all.

Since Duo was an expert in this area of skill it only took two minutes to make a decent sized hole that was big enough for one person at a time to crawl through.

He put his clippers away and then pulled his black cap out of his bag, fitting it snugly on his head to hide his face. He stuffed his long braid down the back of his shirt as Heero slipped through the fence.

Duo chucked his bag through and followed, his knees caps not liking the change from soft earth to hard concrete. He scrambled up next to Heero who was standing ridged, already on alert for any potential enemy that could spot them.

Finding nothing, Heero signalled that they move onwards.

Hanger 1 silhouetted against the sun just ahead of them, looking imposing.

Duo swallowed his momentary nerves and broke into a low run towards the closest Hanger with a dark smile on his face. The adrenaline caused by the sense of danger made him feel truly alive and he thrived from it.

Heero ran level with him, and it was at times like these that Duo could really appreciate the finely tuned weapon that Heero made. He moved so fluidly, with confidence and strength, and his concentration showed on his face and in his sharp eyes. He had the aura of a predator on the hunt.

Duo briefly wondered how Heero saw him, but dismissed it as unimportant.

They moved slower into the shadow of the hanger, quieting their footfalls as they approached the danger zone. They pressed flat against the edge of the metal hanger wall and slunk towards the back end of it. The main hanger doors were not open, so access was not possible that way without drawing attention, but old floor designs for the hangers showed that there was a back door, which acted as an escape route in case of fire.

A quick peek from Heero around the corner confirmed as expected that the door was guarded.

Two armed guards in grey uniform stood just inside the open back door, keeping a watchful eye on the deserted base grounds. The only reason Heero and himself were not spotted was because they had purposely entered the base at a perpendicular angle, which was out of the line of sight of the soldiers who were standing guard by Hanger 1, and Hanger 2 which was a bit further to the left of the airfield.

According to the mission details and Duo's watch, the guards had just switched duties ten minutes ago, which meant that nobody would notice for another hour and fifty minutes if they mysteriously disappeared.

With a few clear hand signals from Heero, Duo knew what he had to do…even if he didn't like it. Bracing himself mentally and letting his Saiyan battle instincts run free, he withdrew a throwing knife out of the folds of his black clothes.

Heero bent to pick up a loose shard of concrete, drew his arm back with careful precision, and threw it so it skittered to a halt before the eyes of the soldiers.

Heero's body was in full motion before the chunk of rock had stilled. As the first guard warily stepped outside of the hanger to look for the disturbance, Heero gave him a flying tackle, sending them both to the ground where they grappled shortly before Heero snapped his neck.

The other guard stepped out with his rifle clumsily settling on Heero as the Wing pilot got to his feet.

The muscles in his throat contracted as his mouth opened to shout an alert to the base.

Duo moved faster. His foot scuffed the concrete as he shifted his stance.

The soldier was half turned towards him as he realised another presence, when he dropped to the ground like a stone, steel buried in his throat with fatal accuracy.

Duo moved quickly to grab the soldier's legs and drag him around the side of the hanger to keep him out of immediate sight of anyone that cared to glance outside.

Duo kept his face emotionless as he stood over the soldier dying at his feet.

Blood spluttered out of the man's mouth as he choked for denied air.

The Deathsythe pilot felt a dull ache that might have been a trace of pity in his chest as he saw that the soldier was only a few years older than he was. 18, maybe 19.

The young man gurgled as his life snuffed out.

Duo's Saiyan instincts hummed with satisfaction as its bloodlust was satisfied.

Yet the part of his consciousness that he'd past dubbed his 'human conscious' always struck up a fuss at times like these.

_I should feel something more…I just murdered someone._

He banished those thoughts away. He couldn't afford to guilt-trip right now.

Instinct took over, making him bend down to pull the blade free. He wiped the crimson liquid on the uniform of the swiftly cooling body.

Duo's thoughts joked morbidly._ I'm sure he won't mind if I mess up his uniform a bit more…he is dead after all. _

He stood straight again to find Heero at his side, watching him, ready to continue on.

With a nod they both checked that the coast was clear and cautiously darted inside the open door.

Trying to remain unseen they moved quick and low in the shadows and dived behind the nearest safe place to hide. They weren't short of hiding places, as the back of the hanger was crammed full of wooden crates that had stacked up from the bases latest supply delivery.

It was quite convenient for the pilots actually. The hanger was mostly open plan, so on any other day it would have been a lot harder to sneak from one end of the hanger to the next without cover.

Duo felt like kissing the wrinkly old scientists for thinking this mission through to the last detail.

Both pilots took a cautious look over the hanger interior.

The structure was wide and tall, as expected from an aircraft hanger, but this hanger didn't contain aeroplanes, but Mobile Dolls instead.

Ten Virgo Dolls lined the right side of the hanger wall and mechanics were crawling over them like ants, tinkering with them, using sparking welders on the outside and pulling handfuls of colourful wires out from the inside.

Duo's attention peaked as he watched them. He'd always enjoyed working on his Gundam so he was interested in the way they put together the new Doll suits.

He forced his focus back onto the task at hand.

The entrance leading to the underground base was located to the central left of the hanger. It was an access coded thick steel door.

The hard part was going to be getting to it without being seen. The crates didn't stack as far as where they needed to go, so for a long distance they would be out in the open for everyone to see.

The scientists had left this tricky bit for Heero and Duo to solve by themselves. They needed to improvise, and Heero hadn't liked not being able to plan this part out.

Duo was excited though. He thrived on creative thinking.

Heero gave him a glance, as if waiting for any ideas that Duo could contribute.

Duo didn't doubt that Heero had his own ideas, but knowing him, they were crazy, or didn't involve Duo's well-being, or maybe didn't even involve him at all. Heero was more inclined to working alone so it was probably putting a spanner in his works to have to think about anyone but himself.

Duo observed the slow movement of a forklift truck as it picked up a crate from further down the pile. The driver smoothly moved the machine over to the vehicle accessible lift (just next to the personnel entrance to the lower base), where the doors closed and the light above the doors lit up to display downward descent.

Judging by the pressure pad placed before the lift, the doors were controlled to open when a large enough weight approached. That meant that there was no chance of taking the lift by foot. His and Heero's weight combined would not be enough to imitate the weight of the truck. Conclusively, that meant that the only way down to the lower levels was to go through the intended coded door, but they didn't know the pass code because it was changed every week for security reasons.

An idea sparked in Duo's head that played out so simplistically it was outlandish.

Duo turned to face Heero, and ensuring to keep his voice low, he verbalised the plan he had concocted.

"That lift must go down to base level, right?" He grinned.

Heero nodded tightly, seemingly understanding Duo's plan and agreeing to it readily, as if he'd already been thinking along the same lines. "The truck is most likely depositing its load in the base's storage room," He intoned. "Which according to the floor plan should be to the far right of the base's entry point."

"Which passes by our first pit stop, the security office." Duo's grin grew. "If we hitch a lift, it'll get us in past the access coded door, and it'll take us where we need to go. Easy."

"We need to travel one at a time." Heero was indirectly asking who was to go first.

"You go, I'll be right after you. I need to plant my first batch of explosives," Duo slipped his backpack off and rummaged around for the bits he needed.

Heero slunk further forwards, like a prowling panther, to position himself.

Duo busied himself with slapping plastic explosive to the side of a crate. He made sure to place it on a crate at the bottom of a pile, towards the back, so the fork lift truck wouldn't get to it and remove it from the hanger before it was due to blow. He carefully used his thumb to sink a remote detonator into the putty. It was good to go.

The low engine whine of the fork lift truck approached again. It manoeuvred another crate onto its front and the driver spun it around to zoom off towards the lift again, following the painted vehicle lane lines on the floor that tracked the left side of the hanger.

Heero moved quick as a flash to sprint and jump at the back end of the vehicle.

He caught a high hand hold and swung his weight up carefully, so as not to inadvertently rock the machine with his added weight and alert the driver to his extra passenger.

Heero's feet found the ledge over the tyre and he pressed himself flat against the left side of the vehicle.

Duo watched with baited breath. If the driver noticed Heero, or if any other base personnel had spied him in the second Heero was in the open, they were sunk.

But nothing happened, and the truck glided along without pause.

The truck actively shielded Heero from view from the multiple engineers and soldiers on the right hand side of the hanger, but it left him in open view of the left side. Luckily the left wall of the hanger was clear of witnesses, only home to a few heavy or delicate Doll parts and open crates that were not visited in all the time Duo had watched.

If everything wasn't so much in their favour, and the layout of the hanger had been any different, Duo's plan wouldn't have worked.

But there was still a good chance that it would fall through once they reached the lower level of the base.

Mapped floor plans of a base did little to prepare you for the real working thing, for the reason that the people, in such a base like this, were unpredictable in their movements. Unlike the easily memorable walls and doors, people did not stay stationary for long periods of time.

An impromptu toilet break could be the potential downfall of the two Gundam pilots if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There was a fair amount of stealth skill involved, but a larger portion of pure luck was needed for a mission like this.

The elevator doors slid open and the fork lift made its way back over.

Duo copied Heero's careful timing and movements, and jumped for the truck. He gained a good hand hold, but he had to scramble ungainly to find the same foot hold that Heero had found over the tyre.

He was forced to balance precariously on his toes, feeling like he could slip off at any given moment.

His fingers instantly started to cramp from holding on so tightly from fear of falling. How Heero had managed to make it look so effortless was beyond him. He had to have fingers with the strength of steel cable.

Duo had to bear that same painful position on the journey across the hanger - down in the lift - and along a lengthy underground corridor, where he almost became a messy red smear when the truck threatened to veer too close to the drab grey painted walls.

Duo was alert to every sound and he was mentally mapping his route, so when he saw his stop approaching he made sure the coast was clear before gratefully allowing his weight to drop off the truck and let it carry on its merry way without him.

Duo pressed his back to the wall as he shook the pain out of his fingers and arms. He couldn't pull his gun trigger if he had stiff joints.

The security office was just ahead. He could see the beginnings of the big bullet proof glass window that fronted the department.

He crept closer with his back to the wall and a hand on his gun at his waistline.

Duo strained his hearing for any sign of activity. There was nothing to hear.

He chanced a very quick glance into the office from the edge of the window.

It looked clear.

That was a good sign.

Duo risked a dash past the clear window for the office door, ready to draw his gun if he met confrontation.

As he ducked inside, he met the barrel of a gun in his face.

Cold Prussian blue eyes aimed down the sight at him.

"Chill!" Duo hissed, hands quickly rising in a show of peace.

Heero's mouth tightened in annoyance as he lowered his gun, his eyes accusing Duo of startling him.

"I've finished here." He said lowly.

Duo shot him a surprised look. "Already? Wow man, you move fast." He glanced around the office and nothing looked out of place except the lack of security guard on surveillance duty. "The vids sorted? And where did you stash the guard's body?" He had to ask.

Heero gave him a scathing stare for the diminutive suggestion that he was in any way incompetent. "Security cameras are on a sixty second loop, and the body is in the cabinet of the desk."

Duo gave the cabinet a queasy look. There was no way a fully grown man could fit in there without a few limbs folded the wrong way.

"Ok, good, lets head on out into the unknown then," Duo turned to leave and Heero followed close behind.

Finding nothing to stop them they briskly strode down the brightly-lit plain grey corridors, taking twists and turns left and right. The base was larger than first perceived and it made it easier to get lost, but Heero and Duo knew exactly where they were going.

At this time in the evening, the base was mostly inactive so it was easy to evade any witnesses, but if they did manage to bump into any stray persons, they were to kill them cleanly and hide the body as well as possible.

It was a bit of a snide insult at OZ that the pair of them could just stroll through the corridors as if they hadn't a care of getting caught.

Well, OK, that was stretching it a bit. They had to be on extreme guard at this point. It would probably be fine if they came across a straggling technician who wouldn't put up much of a fight, but if they ran head first into a trained soldier (or god forbid a group of them), then it was going to get ugly.

As long as the base remained unaware until it was too late, then it was a job well done.

But there was one reason that Duo was so good at stealth missions, and it was because of a special ability that he'd held close for most of his life.

It was an ability that gave him a one-up over the other Gundam pilots, and especially over OZ.

Ki sensing.

He hadn't nurtured it enough for it to become an instinctual ability, so he couldn't use it all of the time. He had never been a good multi-tasker. He needed to be able to pause and concentrate and most everyday situations (such as making toast for breakfast) didn't require the need to sense every person in a ten mile radius.

But it definitely came in handy. It had saved his life quite a few times before, on the streets and as a pilot.

Even though he'd never been able to learn any of those cool ki powers that his family had, ki sensing indisputably had its benefits.

And it was perfect for moments like these when he had Heero to act as his guard so he could turn his focus inwards.

Taking a deep breath and focusing intensely, he expanded his mind to reach out and brush his senses against the different life forces close by.

Heero's strong energy pulsed next to him, a warm comforting presence.

Everyone's life energy felt different in some minute way and Duo was good at separating someone out of a crowd. It was sometimes hard to describe the feeling each energy provoked.

Heero's energy felt like the steady ebb and flow of the strong tide out at sea. Trowa's imitated the soothing balm of cold ointment on a burn. Wufei's was similar to Heero's with the strong flowing backwards and forwards motion, but it was more chaotic, like the tumbling of waves breaking on a pebbled beach.

Quatre's was the most interesting because it always felt like his energy was dancing energetically. It often pulled in odd directions, twisting and turning and jumping, flitting about like an overexcited child in a toy store. Quatre's ki energy always rushed to reach out and greet and mingle with Duo's whenever Duo felt for his presence.

Perhaps that was how his empathy worked. Duo had never puzzled over it.

Duo had often caught himself expanding his mind out to feel for Quatre or Heero, just to check that they were OK. He was constantly keeping an invisible eye on them, and keeping them at his side, always. And he told himself just as often that it wasn't because he got lonely on solo missions and wanted company.

He'd thought Heero was dead when he'd self destructed his Gundam. His life energy had dropped so low it wasn't strong enough to detect.

Duo had given up feeling for any signs of life a week after the incident; it wasn't doing his mentality any good to linger on a person that was dead and gone. He'd done the same thing with Solo and the gang, and Sister and Father Maxwell.

He'd been caught in disbelief when it was none other than Heero that had busted him out of Barge. He was physically real, and his energy signature was definitely the same as before. Maybe even stronger and more defined than before. The saying 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' certainly applied in Heero's case,

He'd come back from the brink of death. And he'd chosen to risk his life all over again to rescue Duo when he was beyond hope.

Duo had been touched beyond words and Heero had gained an eternally loyal friend that day.

Ki sensing was brilliant – point blank.

Heero had no idea about the extra surveillance Duo was performing as they snuck down the empty corridors of the base.

_Ha, and he calls me useless. _Duo gave a secret grin.

"Stop grinning and staring off into space like an idiot. Focus, this is serious." Heero hissed at him.

OK, so perhaps it wasn't such a _secret_ grin.

His mind touched on the familiar strong energy signatures that reached out to him from space, but he refused to linger on them. He needed to focus on the here and now.

The main percentage of the base's population was milling around the back end of the underground complex, and Duo's memory placed the areas as the barracks, common room, and canteen.

There were a few scattered people drifting around the base leisurely - such as the two life forces that he could sense heading in their direction.

He suddenly jolted to a stop with wide eyes as he predicted that the two unknown ki's were about to turn down the same corridor that Heero and himself were in.

The pilots were about half way down the long straight corridor, and in just seconds when the enemy turned the corner, they would see them clearly.

The distance between the two pairs was too large, so if- no, _when_ they saw them (because there was no way to miss seeing them) they decided to turn tail and run to alert the base, they would probably succeed before either Duo or Heero could catch up to them.

If they decided to stay and fight, guns would probably be drawn. His and Heero's guns were silenced. OZ standard guns weren't. If shots were fired by the Ozzies, the gun fire would draw quick attention.

Using the silenced guns to shoot them across the distance wouldn't be productive either because blood would be shed. Bodies were easy enough to hide, but unless he wanted to waste precious time hunting down a mop and bucket, the blood was a lot trickier to sweep under the proverbial rug.

There was nothing as close to literally painting a sign saying 'somebody died here!' other than a suspicious pool of blood that nobody can account for.

That left one last choice.

Hide.

Duo whipped his head around frantically looking for any branching doors they could dive into to avoid being spotted.

"What now?" Heero growled impatiently, stopping on the spot to turn and glare at him.

The Japanese pilot was unpleasantly surprised when Duo snatched up his wrist and yanked him through the closest side door on their right.

The room turned out to be a small janitor closet full of (ironically) mops, brooms and cleaning supplies that were piled high on metal shelves that reached up to the ceiling.

Huh. That 'shoot them then mop up the blood' choice had actually been feasible.

The only light came from the crack underneath the door, so it was dark and Duo had to strain his eyes to see anything.

"Shhh!" Duo hissed at Heero before he could react in any way, because he'd seen him tensing in anger.

He turned back and pressed his ear against the door using his superior Saiyan hearing to pick up the murmurs of conversation that echoed down the corridor, between what sounded like two men.

"…on Canteen cleaning duty next?" The voices drifted closer.

"Yeah." A second faint voice replied casually. "I need to pick up a mop and bucket from the storage closet before I head down there. How about you? Aren't you cleaning out Hanger 2?"

Not bothering to listen anymore, Duo backed away from the door biting his lip in panic. He'd stupidly gone and trapped himself and Heero, and now they were going to be found for sure.

The easiest thing to do would be to kill them and stash the bodies. But where? This closet wasn't the best hiding place. From the looks of it, it was regularly used. Duo couldn't guaranty that someone wouldn't come across the bodies before Duo and Heero were home free. If the alarms went off and security went up, it would be even harder to complete the mission intact.

"02…" A testy voice behind him spoke up.

"Not now," Duo said back in a hiss. "I've got to do some quick thinking."

Some _seriously_ quick thinking. The Ozzies would be opening the door in just a few moments.

Unless…

With a spark of genius he reached up and pulled his cap off.

Hidden in the lining was a stick of gum, which he hastily unwrapped and shoved in his mouth, chewing rapidly.

He jammed his cap back on and yanked out his braid from down the back of his shirt. He searched through the chestnut bundle until he came across a group of lock picks that he always stored in there for emergencies. Having long hair certainly had benefits, but then again it had lots of drawbacks as well, such as keeping it clean or trying to fight with strands of loose hair getting in the way. But today it was in his favour.

Duo bent down at the door's lock and stuck a pick inside. Fiddling around for three precious seconds, the lock gave a satisfying click as it locked shut.

Spitting his chewing gum out into his hand he wedged it firmly into the hole and then stood back to admire his work, wiping his sticky hand against his thigh to clean it.

"What do you think you're do-" Heero started to growl out angrily, but Duo clamped his hand over Heero's mouth to silence him as the two men arrived outside the door.

He belatedly realised that the palm he'd used to muffle Heero belonged to his sticky gum/saliva hand when he felt Heero shudder in revulsion.

Well, it did effectively make him still and quiet down so Duo didn't remove it.

The door handle rattled as someone tried to open it.

Heero tensed in surprise, his muscles bunching in preparation to attack.

"Oh damn. Eric, have you got the key? It's locked."

"Sure," a jingle of keys met everyone's ears. "Here ya go."

There was a scrape of metal as the key entered the lock but then there was an odd squelching noise.

"What the…" one of the men exclaimed in surprise.

There was a pause and shadows shifted restlessly in the sliver of light that was seeping into the dark closet from under the door.

"Ah, I don't believe it. Some joker's gone and put chewing gum in the key hole." A voice drifted through the locked door. "How do we get inside to get the equipment out now?"

Duo grinned widely, glad that his plan was working. Now all he and Heero had to do was wait until they gave up trying to get in, and carry on their jolly way.

"Hold on, I've got a screwdriver on me. I can use that to pry the gum out. Here, let me take a look."

Duo's smile dropped like a stone and he cursed inwardly. _It seems I'm not the only person who carries a screwdriver._

Now he and Heero were in a very tight spot.

Twisting his head to inspect the room, Duo saw a possible escape route in the form of a large air vent, at the back of the closet, that looked just about big enough to crawl through if necessary. It was high up in the wall so they would have to climb up the shelves to reach it.

Finally taking his hand away from Heero's mouth (who looked like he was close to breaking Duo's arm), the braided boy spun on his heels and pulled out a screwdriver from his pocket as he inspected the air vent cover above him.

With silent care he climbed up the metal shelves until he was kneeling on the very top level next to the vent.

He then began to unscrew the screws of the cover as quickly, yet gently as possible since the metal was beginning to rust and occasionally squeaked.

As the vent cover came away, Duo received a cloud of collected dust in his face and had to fight the urge to cough and gag as he inhaled some and it itched at the back of his throat.

He peered down at Heero and quickly signalled for him to climb up the shelves and crawl into the vent.

Heero was watching Duo's progress with his eyes narrowed against the dark. His calculating gaze glanced back to the closet door, his gun hand clenching and releasing over his holster at his back.

Duo understood the subtle actions.

Heero didn't like loose ends, and apparently these two men were close enough to discovering them that they felt like a high threat.

Yet, his hand dropped and he turned his back on the door, his common sense winning out over his pride.

With ease that made Duo feel clumsy in comparison, Heero climbed up the same shelving, shifting his weight carefully, because the combined weight of them both was threatening to make the metal groan and sway away from the wall.

Duo's mission partner ducked into the vent and commando crawled as quickly but softly as possible along the shaft.

"I've – almost – got – it." Eric's voice strained as his screwdriver scratched against metal and gum.

Duo hastily stuffed his backpack into the vent then climbed in backward after it and reached to pull the vent back into place just as a jubilant cry of "Got it!" came from outside the closet.

There was the sound of the key turning in the lock and the door opened. The overhead light flickered into life, making Duo's eyes ache since he was used to the darkness.

He backed further into the vent so he could escape the light and so he was sure the two cleaners couldn't see him.

_Phew…made it. _Duo breathed in relief.

He then remembered that he was facing the wrong way in the vent, and he didn't think crawling backwards would work very well for very long.

Bending his limbs and spine awkwardly, he twisted in the shaft and turned his body around to face the right direction.

He'd seen Trowa in action before on a mission, so he knew that he wasn't the most flexible out of the Gundam pilots, but by normal standards he was quite versatile.

He'd learnt the skill through necessity on the streets. He'd had to fit in a few places that no normal person was meant to.

He was older and thus far bigger than he used to be, but he hadn't let age dull his talent. It made him a pro at getting out of tight spots.

The first lovely view he had when facing the correct way, was of Heero's backside in his face. He had to bite his tongue extremely hard to stop himself from commenting or bursting out laughing since it was very likely that the two cleaners would hear the smallest of sounds echoing out of the metal shaft.

He was sure that Relena Darlian would be willing to pay big money to be in his place at this moment.

And if it were possible he would have let her take his place free of charge.

Heck, he would have paid her because he was just starting to feel the effects of claustrophobia sink in.

He was, after all, in a dark and enclosed warm and stuffy vent, with dust demanding to clog his lungs and stop him from breathing deeply.

Sadly, he hadn't yet managed to shake his Gero induced claustrophobia.

Duo didn't like to dwell on the root reason for his fear, because just thinking of his time in Gero's claws made his heart quicken and his body break out into a cold sweat. Thankfully, Professor. G had taught Duo how to control his phobia by pure will power.

…_Breath…just breath. _

How else had he managed to force himself into a mobile suit cockpit for the first time? Without G, he surely would never have become a pilot of any type.

Now, any machine or vehicle's cockpit felt like a safe haven in his mind, but it had taken a lot of psychological manipulation to force himself to feel that way.

He had a special attachment to being inside Deathsythe, because that was where he'd done most of his practice meditation whilst training with the Professor. It was his sanctuary. Nothing could hurt him when he was cocooned in gundanium. That was why he felt so fearless when it came to fighting against other suits.

…_These walls are not my prison…they are my protection. They are protecting me from being killed…_

It was only on rare and extreme occasions that his fear managed to slip past his defences. Such as now.

… _There's no need to be afraid…stop panicking! _

Heero ducked his head under his arm to look back at Duo, no doubt hearing Duo's short, sharp breaths of distress.

'Focus.' Heero mouthed to him, his face stern.

Heero was one of a very select few in Duo's life to learn of his low level claustrophobia.

Duo would never have admitted it freely to any of the other pilots, even Quatre, because it was considered a weakness, and he was _not_ weak.

But Heero had found out about it in the worst way possible. He'd witnessed a bad panic attack and Duo had no excuses on hand in the aftermath.

It had happened just over a week ago.

They had both been on L1 when the message to relocate to the group safe house on Earth had come through. Duo had known that Heero was close by because of his ki sensing ability, but Heero had no idea.

Feeling like having some company for a change (however poor), Duo had followed Heero to the shuttle port and snuck onto the same flight, stowing away in the cargo hold. Just after takeoff he had popped out from behind a crate to give Heero a surprise greeting. That surprise almost got him shot in a knee jerk reaction. It was probably the closest Heero had ever come to jumping in fright. Duo had chuckled at him for a good fifteen minutes, but Heero had retaliated by giving him the silent treatment and pretending that he wasn't there.

Duo grew bored. There wasn't much to do in a small cargo hold during a six hour flight with someone who was ignoring his existence.

So he fell asleep.

The harsh jolt of re-entry into Earth's atmosphere woke him up abruptly.

Still disorientated, he hadn't been able to figure out where he was. All he knew was that it was dark, cramped and stuffy and there was no visible way out.

Of course he'd panicked.

Heero just sat and watched the fear steal away Duo's breath and all sane thought; he didn't move to help in any way. His expression was blank, but his eyes were hypercritical.

In fact it was Heero's piercing stare and the burning feel of shame that it invoked that Duo used to grasp hold of his flyaway emotions and calm down.

In the emotional comedown after the attack he experienced a moment of clarity where he felt intensely bitter towards Heero for his lack of care of Duo's wellbeing, but at the same time he was overwhelmingly grateful for his calm presence.

Heero always evoked the feeling of 'safe' for Duo.

It honestly made no sense in his head. He didn't trust Heero with his life, and Heero certainly didn't hand out warm fuzzy emotional pep talks like Solo, Father Maxwell, Sister Helen, Gohan, or Goku.

But there was still something about him. He seemed indestructible with his unwavering focus, his stubbornness, and his incredible strength and knowledge.

Yet the dim spark of long lost innocence and hope hidden in the darkest depths of his intensely frigid blue eyes made it easy for Duo to open up to him, because he saw himself in Heero.

A child hopelessly lost in a war to big to comprehend.

It was enough for Duo to warm up to the other pilot even more than he'd thought possible during times of war when he'd kept everyone else at a respective arms length.

After a long and painful stillness, only broken by the loud humming of the shuttle engines, Duo had eventually croaked out "I get claustrophobic sometimes," in a desperate need to explain his funny turn. But it felt too personal to admit it to an almost stranger, too raw, and the admission burnt more than the previous shame.

He had expected scorn, the scalding question of why he was a Gundam pilot if he had such a treacherous flaw, yet Heero had just seemingly brushed the incident aside with little care and told him brusquely not to let it happen again.

No derision, no blame. Just acceptance.

It felt like a gratifying release for Duo to give up one of his many secrets into Heero's trust. He just wished that it was given up under different circumstances. His pride was beaten and bloody.

It hadn't been mentioned since and Duo was grateful but that recent memory was clear in his mind

Admonition given, Heero faced forwards again and carried on crawling through the vent, disturbing the thick coating of dust and leaving swirling patterns as he slid his knees and elbows across the metal surface.

Duo paused for a moment to wrestle his fear back down into the box that it was trying to escape from, and then resumed his trek onwards, pushing his backpack along in front because the vent was too small for him to put it on his back.

It was slow progress along the narrow shaft. Thanks to the memorised map of the structure of the base, they both knew that the vents eventually led in the general direction that they needed to go, but this route had never been part of their plan.

They had to move slowly to avoid making too much noise and each lost minute put them further behind their already tight schedule.

After 20 minutes of slow toil, Heero chanced a glance through the slats in a vent and deemed the room on the other side to be suitable as a disembarking point. Heero coiled his body, kicked out the vent in a perfectly controlled display of strength and movement, and then let himself fall through the hole out into the open room, his gun in his hand and poised to shoot before he even hit the floor below in a well landed crouch.

Heero should star in his own action movie. He wouldn't even need a stunt double.

Duo felt like sneering 'show-off' at him but he knew that it would be ill received.

Heero traced his gun around the small office dotted with a handful of desks and computer terminals, searching for any admin staff or soldiers.

He needn't have bothered because Duo couldn't sense anyone present in the room or the surrounding corridors apart from themselves.

But he couldn't tell Heero that, so he let him do his paranoid scout thing and waited for Heero to give him the all clear before dropping down next to him.

Duo revelled in the feeling of being free from the cramped conditions he'd been occupying and stretched out his arm and leg muscles feeling cartilage crack in relief.

He laced his fingers and cracked his knuckles loudly, glancing over at Heero with a devilish grin to see if the action had riled Heero.

It hadn't even fazed him.

In comparison, Quatre's reaction to it was always a good laugh because he was oddly squeamish in that way. When Duo had first done it in front of Trowa, the Heavyarms pilot had quite playfully cracked his own knuckles in reply, better and louder than Duo with a smug upturn to his lips and a challenge in his green eyes. That had been the only moment since their introduction that Duo had felt anywhere near close to bonding with Trowa.

"We're almost there." Heero informed Duo. "Two corridors over is our target."

"Right," Duo acknowledged. He already knew that, but he was ok with letting Heero feel like he was leading this mission instead of it being the joint effort it was meant to be.

Duo hated taking the lead. If his short stint as leader to the old street gang had taught him anything, it was that he got people killed by always managing to make the wrong choice when it really counted. Death seemed to bounce off him, but it always reflected onto the surrounding people.

They met no resistance on their stealth trip to the main computer lab. It was undecided whether it was lucky or unlucky that when they finally slipped into the room, there was a technician at his desk working late. For the technician, his situation was definitely unlucky because Duo had been prepared to kill him before he had even entered the room, having sensed him from the other side of the door, so the poor man had a silenced bullet in his head before he'd even fully glanced up from his screen at his unwelcome visitors.

At least it was a quick death. It was a small solace to Duo.

Duo was aware of Heero's stare boring into the side of his face. Perhaps he was surprised by Duo's reflexes, or perhaps he was looking for some kind of remorse for killing yet another human being. Duo felt it keenly. He just didn't show it.

The reason the technician's presence was a lucky thing for them was because he was already logged onto a terminal, making hacking into the system so much easier.

Heero hurriedly moved over to the body, pushing him out of the chair that the man had slumped back in, and then he bent to shove him under a different desk out of sight.

Heero possessed the vacated chair and tuned his brain into hacker-mode.

Heero bent over the keyboard and began to type away at incredible speeds. All that time he spent on his laptop must have boosted his computer skills to be above that of an expert. Heero was basically the God of all computers.

Duo glanced around the room in interest as he asked, "How long are you going to be?"

It looked like all of the twelve computers in the room were hooked up to the huge super computer that took up an entire wall using cables that looked like metal vines that twisted and weaved across the floor all over the place. There was a trip hazard wherever he looked.

Heero didn't even glance up as he grunted, "Estimated twenty minutes. If I can hack through the base's encrypted files."

If? There was no question of his ability to do it in record time. He was just being modest.

Duo bent to place a wad of putty and a detonator on the underside of a desk next to him.

"Oh, OK then." He armed the detonator ready for the trigger signal and straightened again to flash Heero a grin. "I'll just go plant my stuff around the base. Meet at the crates in Hanger 2 in 30 minutes? That should give us both plenty of time. You could probably fit in a few games of Solitaire as well if you want."

Heero tore his eyes away from the computer to fix his best death glare on Duo.

"Don't waste time. Go now." He ordered forcefully.

Duo sighed dramatically for effect, as if hard done-by. "Sourpuss," He teased and retreated from the computer lab to leave Heero to his work.

He closed the door behind him and hefted his backpack more securely onto his back as he strolled confidently down the empty corridor again.

Duo had his own job to do.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me._

'The next chaper will be out soon'? Don't listen to my lies. Hi to SisterFreaks! I know I messaged you way back in March saying it wouldn't be long, but I've been super busy. :p

To make it up to everyone, here is a huge chapter for you. It took me aaaaages to proof read it. ~PFF

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**Chapter 14**

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Duo heart raced but his thoughts were forcibly clear in an attempt to push away his claustrophobia as he dragged himself through the cramped and dark steel passageways.

He'd been aiming to reach the main plant room by foot, but he'd been forced to duck back into the vents by a small gaggle of technicians that were standing and arguing with each other over fistfuls of paperwork, effectively blocking the corridor. He didn't have the time to wait for them to disperse and there was no other way around them other than the dreaded dark vents.

He spied a ray of pale light ahead that pierced through the gloom and his spirits lifted.

The artificial light was streaming through a grate in the side of the vent, and as he came closer the delicious smell of food wafted towards him.

It made his stomach grumble in neglect.

He had skipped breakfast _and_ lunch today. His appetite had been non-existent after his heart-stopping surprise that morning, and even by midday when Trowa had generously made soup for the five of them, he'd felt sick at the thought of eating it. He apologetically refused the offered bowl and retreated to his room.

That sparked something determined in Quatre, causing the Sandrock pilot to take it upon himself to mother Duo. He stood in the hall and tried to persuade Duo to eat, his voice carrying though the closed bedroom door, bowl in hand. Duo had turned him away, but that hadn't been the end of it. In the next hour when Duo had ventured downstairs again, feeling sure that Quatre's insistence had passed, the blond had started up again, his disapproval apparent as he revealed the same bowl of re-heated soup and tried to guilt trip him into eating it.

And when that didn't work he even had the audacity to try and rope Trowa into pinning Duo down to a chair at the kitchen table, but Trowa had wisely refused.

Good thing too, because Duo could have easily predicted that no one would have come away from that incident without some sort of injury, an overturned table and soup on the ceiling.

Yet the pounding headache he'd had for most of the day had faded during the car ride to the base and his appetite was now back and in full force.

His mind had finally grown accustomed to the four powerful ki's that had been flaring at the back of his mind all day so it was easy to ignore their presence, therefore he could carry out the mission without any further distraction.

But any distraction right now was a good thing as he monotonously dragged himself though the dusty shafts.

He tuned into the part of his brain that allowed him to pinpoint the group's position. He couldn't accurately measure the expanse of space to the exact mile but he did have a vague sense of the distance between the colonies and Earth.

_Shit, they're a lot closer now. _He thought numbly. _They must have arrived on Earth. I think they're heading in this direc – oh hey! I found the canteen!_

His thoughts changed track abruptly as he glanced through the vent cover where the light flowed though. At the angle he was peering through the slats he could see an estimated twenty or so base personnel below him, sitting communally at long bench tables in scattered groups. Some were eating sombrely, others were laughing and joking loudly with each other, their empty trays pushed aside.

The low hanging shaft that Duo was crawling along passed directly over the heads of the soldiers and it looked like it carried on through to the kitchens.

Duo became hyperaware of the potential danger of being heard as he shuffled along. He softened his breathing in an effort to still all sound. The same thrill of anticipation at being caught made his heart expand in his chest, and he was taken by the memory of experiencing the same feeling when he first learnt to play hide and seek with Gohan.

Duo gathered his nerve and with careful and slow movements he pushed his rucksack along in front of him as he pressed forwards.

The slow progress felt almost painful as he knew he had a deadline to meet.

He paused to squint at the luminous hands of his watch glowing faintly in the dark.

He had less than fifteen minutes to plant two more detonators before he had to meet up with Heero in Hanger 2 to place the third and final one. He had no illusions that Heero would blow the base with his own detonator without a thought for Duo's wellbeing if he didn't make it to the Hanger in the allotted time.

It would suck for Heero to blow him sky high with his own explosives. Besides, Duo wanted to be the one to ceremoniously start the fireworks.

With warm fuzzy thoughts of fire and chaos, Duo was not paying attention to where he was going, his gaze only focused straight ahead.

As he placed his hand down to slide his weight further forward, he instantly felt the difference in texture and resistance of the panel he lent on. He was startled to hear the squeaky grind of metal giving way under his weight and tried to pull his hand back as he simultaneously glanced down in panic.

But it was too late.

The flimsy mesh grate on the floor of the vent was falling away and Duo's upper body fell with it as gravity sucked him down. His arm tangled with his rucksack as he tried to scrabble for any purchase, but his sweaty palms slid uselessly against the smooth metal and he couldn't stop his forward momentum from tumbling him head first through the hole.

The fall was quick but it was from height, so inevitably when his back hit a hard metal surface meters below the air was knocked from his lungs and hot pain blossomed along his jarred nerves.

After a few seconds of shock, spent gasping for lost breath, Duo shakily pushed himself upright feeling dazed.

_I'm dead… _Was the first thought his brain concluded bleakly as he processed his surroundings.

He had landed smack bang in the middle of the canteen.

Every person in the room was staring directly at him. The buzz of voices that had been present before had completely died away leaving a stunned silence.

Duo eyes helpless flicked up to the vent above him where there was now a panel missing. In just a fraction of a second he analysed his position. He was sitting on one of the long metal eating tables. He was awkwardly sitting on a fork. The prongs hadn't pierced his skin, but it had undoubtedly created an interesting shaped bruise on his ass. And talking about bruises, he'd also landed on his hand gun which was holstered in the small of his back, and damn it, the contusion stung like a bitch.

On the floor next to the table, his rucksack had burst open causing an assortment of knives, guns, ammunition and tools to scatter across the floor. And there lay his last few C4 blocks, out in the open for all to see. Any military qualified soldier would know it as an explosive device at first glance.

It was a bit too late to try and play innocent.

The click of the safety being taken off a handgun right next to his temple made him tense up further in dismay.

To his right a soldier was sitting on the bench holding a gun to Duo's head.

It looked as if the man had peacefully been sipping a cup of coffee until Duo had decided to drop in - literally, right on the table in front of him.

"Put your hands up slowly, kid." The soldier ordered flatly.

Duo didn't comply. He licked his lips nervously as his eyes darted around the room looking for any possible escape.

"Didn't you hear me? Put your-Gah!"

Duo's lightening fast reflexes made it possible for him to draw both of his daggers out from within the folds of his clothes before the man could blink and in the next second the soldier collapsed backwards off the bench; a hand pressed haphazardly over the two rapidly blooming stains of red that soaked though his uniform jacket, his face a picture of shock.

The witnesses present were dragging their wits together and falling back on their training. Those armed drew their guns and took aim, but by that time Duo had cut down two more soldiers that were slow to react and was half way to the exit, running at a full sprint.

Judging that he wasn't going to make it to the door in time to avoid a magazine of bullets in the back, he ducked to the side and used his momentum and a dose of ki enhanced strength to upturn a steel table onto its side as improvised cover as all hell broke loose and a rapid spew of bullets was sent his way. Hot metal screeched and pinged against the steel table with such intensity that the entire bench slid back an inch under the force of the assault. Duo crouched low, his ears ringing and his heart hammering.

A group of soldiers hustled to block the exit so he couldn't escape, and suddenly the blaring noise of the overhead sirens alerted the base of his presence.

_Oh crap, crap, crap! Heero's going to kill me if they don't manage it first!_

This situation required a fight or flight response. What was less likely to get him killed?

The answer became obvious when a dozen more armed soldiers piled into the canteen through the doors.

_Flight! Definitely flight! _

He replaced his daggers with his handgun.

What he really needed was a machine gun to mow the bastards down, but he'd have to make do with what he had.

He mind feverishly ran though a few conjured scenarios that planned his escape. His mental map of the canteen revealed one other exit that remained unguarded. Problem was that it was on the other side of the room, and he had a dozen soldiers in his direct path. Time to change tactics.

His short thoughts of flight was over. Now it was time to fight.

There was a second's pause of gunfire from the enemy as they were forced to reload so Duo took that as his cue and threw himself out into the open, pushing his leg muscles to the limit to gain speed as fast as possible.

With a few expert shots he cut a path through the closest huddle of stunned soldiers that couldn't quite believe his foolish assault on them and sprinted in the direction of the food serving counter. His close proximity to the soldiers halted any enemy weapon discharge in case of friendly fire.

Duo pistol whipped one last soldier out of his way and he dived desperately for the counter as a wave of bullets was released at him. He slid on his stomach across the polished tiled floor to safety.

Bullets thunked into the shatterproof sneeze guard. The food on top of the counter was shot to pieces to splatter as paste against the wall behind him, and fragments of spaghetti and pie crust rained down on Duo in clumps. A splotch of _something_ warm landed on the back of his hand and he absently licked it off as he rolled into a low crouch. Mmm, apple pie.

Pushing himself forward he dove through the kitchen's swing door with bullets only missing him by millimetres, tearing at the edges of his clothes but not hitting flesh.

He ran unhindered through the empty kitchen. All base personnel, excluding active soldiers, must have started to evacuate as soon as the siren went off.

Duo burst out of a second door and into an open length of corridor. He shot down a surprised passing soldier and hightailed it out of there.

Loud voices followed closely behind and the stomp of military boots informed him that he couldn't slow down his pace unless he wanted to be caught.

Many twists and turns later Duo had thrown off all trace of the men that had given chase, but he had also lost track of which direction he had been going in and was now at a complete loss as to where he was.

He took a sharp right and came face to face with a solitary soldier that stared back in dumb surprise. Duo's gun came up and he pulled the trigger… only for the weapon to click emptily, displaying an alarming lack of bullets.

The soldier took full advantage of this and quickly recovered to raise his rifle and fire off a shot.

Duo slammed backwards into the wall as the burning pain of hot metal burying itself into his flesh coursed through his upper right arm. His gun clattered out of his grasp.

The soldier aimed again with intent to kill.

"Oh no you don't!" Duo snarled and pushed off the wall with a foot, his hand groping for a familiar feel of metal in his palm even as he twisted to reached up with his hurt arm to knock away the barrel of the gun from his face.

He swiftly lashed out with his revealed dagger and effortlessly tore the man's throat out.

The pilot turned his head to one side as a spray of blood spurted at him.

Flecks of crimson life fluid decorated half of his face and he carelessly smeared it as he wiped at his skin with the back of his left hand which was also slippery with his own blood. The soldier's gun clattered to the floor and the body dropped limply after it. Duo hid away his dagger again and used his free hand to probe a finger into the bullet wound in his shoulder.

He hissed in pain, but bore though the pain as he inspected the damage.

It stung like hell and the bullet had lodged itself deep into his muscle so it was agony to move his arm even a fraction. When he'd lifted his arm to bat away that gun it had almost made his vision white out. But he knew that he had to push the pain to one side if he was going to get out of this place alive. He could whimper about it later and maybe get sympathy from Quatre.

Duo's eye's passed over the sign on the door that the soldier had been guarding.

_**Ammunition.**_

sneered at the door with a lack of amusement. He'd actually reached one of his original destinations, completely by coincidence, and he didn't have any explosives on him to finish the job.

With a sigh he turned and stepped over the pool of blood on the concrete floor next to the body. He bent down to retrieve the soldier's rifle but found that it had jammed up thanks to its harsh impact with the hard floor and was beyond use. He tossed it to the floor again angrily. The only weapons he was carrying now were the pair of daggers in his pockets. His handgun was useless now that he was out of ammo. The type of bullets his gun used weren't exactly military standard. All of his extra clips were far behind him on the floor of the canteen.

The ammunition locker wasn't going to be much use for a spare gun either. It contained ammunition only, no weapons. The weapon locker was a few corridors down and he didn't have the luxury of time to locate it and then backtrack here for the bullets, never mind the time it would take to fry the electronic security locks on both doors.

He was in a tough situation, and his concern spread to include Heero.

Luckily ki sensing was perfect for emergencies just like this.

Duo blocked his ears to the siren that continued to annoy him and locked onto Heero's familiar signature. He was surprised to find him in motion and heading in his direction.

What was he doing? He should have been clear of the base by now. A glace at his watch showed that he was one minute late so Heero should have detonated the bombs under the assumption that Duo was either dead or captured.

He felt relieved that he was still alive, but he also felt an angry annoyance at Heero. Whenever the Wing pilot deviated from the plan he always managed to come out of it looking heroic and cool. If Duo tried the same thing, he was sure he'd be seen as reckless and an idiot for being unable to follow a simple plan.

He hesitated at the ammunition door. He was so close! But he didn't have anything he could use to improvise an explosion.

He only had his hands as weapons now.

But wait…

He had his hands.

No, it was too crazy. Down right dangerous. He'd never done anything on that sort of scale before. Was it even possible?

There was only one way to find out.

Duo took a cautious moment listen for any approaching footsteps, but there was nothing but the sound of the wailing siren bouncing down the corridor.

He took a deep relaxing breath and closed his eyes so he could block out the throbbing burn in his arm and concentrate fully.

He searched deep for that spark of power that was always present at his core.

He reached out for it and with every ounce of mental strength he had in him, he forcefully pulled his ki to the surface out towards his left unturned palm.

The uncomfortably warm energy gathering in his hand told him that it was slowly but surely working and he could feel his energy draining internally to form externally.

He'd never pulled this much out before, and he could feel the strain it was causing his body.

His skin grew clammy as he experienced hot and cold flushes, his fingers and toes were becoming increasing numb, and his chest ached as he gasped for breath he was suddenly short of. This ki bomb was taking every bit of energy he owned. It was sapping him dry and soon there would be nothing left to give.

He wasn't able to bare giving any more energy as his blood started to pound painfully in his ears, so he deciding that it was powerful enough. Duo stopped the flow of energy and opened his eyes to stare proudly at the pure snow-white energy ball floating above his open palm. It was the size of a basketball, which was the largest one he had ever produced in his life, and probably the most powerful as well. He was amazed with himself since he had never been able to fully grasp the practice of using ki, yet this time it seemed to have worked. He knew that adrenaline had given him the extra energy he needed to form it, but he was still impressed.

He removed his hand and let the large orb hover in the air without support.

Feeling immensely tired, as if the life had been sucked out of him, Duo gave a weak grin and wobbled down the corridor in Heero's direction leaving his pulsing creation behind, ready for detonation when the time was right.

* * *

Heero had just finished copying the computer files onto disk and was about to climb back into the vents when the emergency klaxon sounded overhead.

He scowled angrily as he ducked into the vent and began to make his way towards Hanger 2 to rendezvous with the incompetent idiot that was his partner. No doubt he'd blown his cover. Heero hadn't tripped any system alarms whilst decrypting and transferring the files so why else would the base be on high alert?

Heero arrived exactly two minutes before the thirty given minutes ended, and thanks to the chaos in the hanger and the crush of bodies trying to evacuate, he was able to hide in obvious sight. He ducked away from the main crowd that was hurriedly moving towards the exit and slipped behind the crates where Duo had requested they meet up, yet there was no sign of him.

He kept a watchful gaze on the flurry of base personnel running around the Hanger like headless chickens, hoping to spot a glimpse of his partner amongst them.

He calmly waited for another two minutes carefully hidden behind the crates, but Duo did not arrive.

Paranoid thoughts surfaced unwillingly.

Had he been captured? Was he even still alive? What went wrong?

Heero frowned in frustration.

What had happened was not important, completing the mission was priority.

He was forced to stoop lower behind the crates as three men were on course to pass close to his location.

Judging by their uniforms there was a mechanic, a cleaner and a lab technician. They made an odd social gathering.

Their voices became more audible the closer they got. The cleaner's voice was vaguely familiar and Heero placed him as one of the men from the closet indiscretion earlier.

"…wearing all black and a cap so I knew he wasn't part of the base personnel." The cleaner described to his fellow workers. "He looked harmless enough though. Then one of the guys that was sitting at the table pulled out a gun and pressed it to the kid's head, telling him to put his hands up…and in a flash the kid had whipped out some knives and stabbed the poor bloke in the heart!"

Gasps of horror came from the other two men listening to the tale of the cleaner.

"Yeah, that's how I reacted when I saw it happen. So anyway, the kid bolts, stabbin' two more of our guys. Guns went ablazin' and the evacuation siren went off so I dropped my mop and ran out of there as fast as I could!"

The men stopped to lean against the crates and continue talking about the smidgen of exciting drama that had just happened in their small pathetic lives. Despite the panic around them these men didn't seem worried by the danger they were in. It looked like they were more animated by the fact that they had broken free of their usual boring work routine.

"Cor Bob, it's a good job you did," the mechanic breathed in relief. "I spoke to Jenkinson just before I met up with you, and he told me that the kid went on a killing spree and then escaped through the kitchens without a scratch on him!"

The percentage of chance that Duo was still alive rose in Heero estimation.

"Blimey! If I'd stayed put in the kitchen I could have been killed by him! I had a near death experience!"

Heero _almost _smirked at how dramatic the man was making it sound.

"I heard that they think it's a Gundam pilot," the mechanic continued in an excited rush. "And now I've heard the kid's description I'm pretty sure it is one. Do you remember about a month ago when they caught pilot 02? We saw him on TV and the description fits so I think it's him!"

"Hey, yeah! I knew he looked familiar!" the cleaner's mouth fell open. "It's him! Wow, that kid's got a huge killin' reputation. This base is really in for it now. But I can't believe he's still fightin' after almost gettin' executed last time he got caught. He recovered real fast."

"Well you've got to admire the fact that the Gundam pilots never give up," The lab technician spoke up for the first time. "I'm starting to think that they're doing the right thing, and if they carry on at the rate that they're all going then the war will be over soon."

"What? You can't be serious!" the mechanic exclaimed.

"Yeah man, they're just cold blooded killers!" the cleaner put in.

Something deep in Heero's chest trembled acutely at the conviction behind the man's belief. But it was indisputable, especially in Heero case.

"Hm, they do kill, but I believe it's all for a worthy purpose. The Federation have caused more mindless deaths than the Gundams." The technician countered. "Each colony has suffered at their hands. Bombings, raids, slaughter of children. Have you heard of any of those instances?"

"Nah, but they sound bad."

"Of course they were bad! They were all mass murders! It was the Federation's fault every time but they covered it up well. The TV coverage never made it off those colonies. Take L-2 for example. Rebels claimed sanctuary and made a makeshift hospital in the Maxwell Church that doubled as an orphanage. The Federation went in and killed them all, no room for surrender. Priest, nun, and kids included. 245 dead and the church burnt to the ground."

"That's terrible!" the cleaner looked appalled. "That's an attack on God's house!"

"Damn…" was all the mechanic could breath out faintly.

"The other stories are like that, but that one in particular sticks in my memory." The technician continued. "It's a fact that the Federation uses extreme military force to stamp on people that are already down. I'm torn between whose side I'm on in the war. The only reason I work here for the Alliance is because of the high pay."

"Well don't let anyone apart from us know your thoughts mate, or else you might be accused of disloyalty and kicked out of your job, or worse you could be trialled for incitement." The mechanic warned and the cleaner hummed in worried agreement. "My cousins a lawyer so I know these things,"

"OI! You three, what do you think you're doing?" A soldier broke away from the main crowd to herd them on. "This is an evacuation, not a lunch break! Get moving!"

All three men jumped to attention guiltily and moved to follow as the soldier strode away fully expecting them to follow. The technician lowered his voice to a whisper as they grudgingly shifted away from the crates. "I know, I'm not stupid. I appreciate my job and I appreciate my life even more. You didn't hear any of that from me."

Then they were gone.

Heero ran over all he knew about Duo and cross-referenced it with the tale he'd just heard.

L2…Maxwell…Orphanage…priest collar…cross necklace.

Could Duo have been involved? Perhaps it was all just a coincidence, but Heero didn't really believe in coincidences. But it was true that the surname Maxwell was common among L-2 citizens because of its American foundation.

Pondering Duo brought him back to his current dilemma.

There was a high probability that he was already dead. But something in Heero refused to believe that. Duo was most likely waylaid from reaching the hanger.

Heero should confirm the vitality of his partner before deciding whether or not to leave him for dead. It wouldn't do to senselessly discard the life of a fully trained and skilled Gundam pilot. Five of them could do more damage than four.

With the insubordinate action he was about to take soundly justified in Heero's mind, he palmed his handgun and cautiously made his way back towards the main building and the personnel lift. It was easy enough to find his way back underground. The soldiers sectioning groups to take the lift glanced straight over him. They were looking for a teenager of Duo's description, not Heero's.

Heero used the confusion of the crowds to break away, and once again he was in the corridors of the underground base, but this time on a personal mission.

If Duo had exited through the kitchens then he was most likely still in the south section of the base on the first level.

Heero picked up his pace and searched the surrounding corridors, shooting anyone who dared to cross his path. Soldiers were now patrolling in pairs but they were easy to avoid or kill if necessary.

The siren was still going and code red security lights flashed on the overhead ceiling throwing everything into surrealism.

Heero paused as he heard light footsteps around the corner coming his way.

The Wing pilot pressed his back against the wall and held his gun to his chest, preparing to pounce and kill.

"What are you still doing here?" A voice asked, exasperation clear but with an undertone of honest bewilderment.

Heero lowered his gun, relief loosening his tense shoulder muscles.

Duo came around the corner and Heero frowned as he took in the Deathsythe pilot's appearance.

His skin was pasty white with blood splattered and smeared across one side of his face, and sweat glistened on his forehead. Duo's eyes were half lidded wearily and his whole body quivered with a faint tremor as if he was fighting not to collapse.

Yet he still seemed alert and Duo managed to read Heero's questioning expression.

"I'm OK, really, just cover me? I'm only armed with knives, I've lost everything else."

"Are you injured?" Heero couldn't tell if the blood on Duo's skin was his own or not.

"Got myself shot in my arm, but I'll live." He gave a sardonic grin.

Heero eyes zeroed in on the concentrated stain of fresh red blood on the white fold of Duo's right shirtsleeve. Yet unless the bullet had clipped an artery, there was no reason for Duo's condition to seem so dire.

"That is just a minor wound. Are you not revealing something? You don't look well."

"Well getting shot does that to us mere mortals, but I'm fine, really. I'm just feeling a bit drained of energy at the moment that's all." Heero stopped listening to Duo's ramble and turned to walk back the way he came. Duo automatically tailed him, still chatting away. "I'll perk up again after we get out of here and I've had a rest. A cup of coffee would be nice too, with lots of sugar. Lots and _lots_ of sugar."

"Shut up and keep close." Heero commanded sharply over his shoulder.

"Righty O, Captain," Duo gave him a snarky smile and a sarcastic salute with his uninjured arm.

If he was being his usual obnoxious self then Heero felt confident that he was fine.

Now they just had to focus on getting out alive.

They made slow progress up to Hanger 2. One reason was because Duo struggled to keep up with Heero's fast pace, which was disconcerting as Heero knew that Duo had always been swift on his feet.

The other reason was because the hunt for them had increased in size dramatically.

Soldiers were around every corner making it difficult to avoid confrontation. There were continuous thwarts by the base's military force, blockades set up at the end of corridors, blocking their way forward and opening fire on sight, forcing them to flee from the overwhelming odds and change route, sometimes redirecting them into clever strategic ambushes. It didn't help when Duo was disarmed of his knives in a short skirmish with an enemy soldier as Heero dealt with his own. They were forced to abandon the weapons and make a tactical retreat as back up arrived, meaning that Duo was now unarmed and even less help than before.

Heero had exhausted his handguns ammo supply during the last onslaught of resistance they had come across. He'd managed to lift a rifle from a dead soldier, but the dwindling bullets in the gun wouldn't last for much longer at this rate.

But they were almost to the lift.

Heero and Duo edged along, pressed to the wall as they neared the last corner before the home straight. The lift was sure to be guarded as a precautionary measure. Just how heavily guarded was unknown, thus the need for a cautious approach.

Before rounding the corner Heero glanced back at Duo to give a signal to attack but he hesitated as he noticed Duo leaning heavily against the concrete wall, his chest rising and falling in quick short gasps for air.

Heero's concern swelled. He could think of only three maladies for these types of symptoms. Either Duo had internal injuries, he'd been poisoned, or he was suffering from exhaustion.

The Deathsythe pilot sought his gaze and made an impatient gesture to continue on, his eyes hard set and determined.

There really wasn't any other course of action. Heero gave the signal.

He threw himself around the corner, gun at his hip, and zeroed in on his enemy. There were four of them.

They were slow to respond to his and Duo's sudden presence in their midst and Heero took advantage by mowing them down in a spray of bullets. Three fell instantly, but the last rolled clear. Duo was upon him a second later, tackling him down again as the soldier tried to regain his feet. They grappled but Duo's movements were weak and sloppy and the soldier managed to gain the advantage in strength, rolling his weight on top to pin Duo to the floor.

Heero ran to intervene. He couldn't shoot without the risk of hitting Duo.

The enemy managed to cut a punch across Duo's jaw, effectively stunning the Gundam pilot below him and he reached to his hip holster for his hand gun. He was nestling the barrel to the underside of Duo's chin as Heero drew level and he swung the butt of his rifle at the soldier's temple, his full strength unrestrained. The force caved the man's skull and he collapsed onto his side. Duo kicked the corpse's limp body further off his person and struggled to sit upright. The simple action looked exhausting.

"Thanks I guess," Duo grunted, shamed by his failure.

Heero remained stony silent as he glared down at Duo, far too irate with the other pilot to dignify him with any reassurance or a helping hand up.

"Yeah, I deserve that look. He almost had me there, I'll admit that. But that guy was strong!" He rubbed at his sore jaw which was already shading with a bruise.

Heero gave him a lingering cold look as he stepped over the ex-soldier's body to press the call button for the lift.

Duo could spout any excuse he wanted. There was something ailing him, and if he wouldn't admit it then Heero was going to be no help to him.

The lift doors slid open. It was empty so Heero stepped inside and hit the ground floor button, not waiting for Duo to catch up.

Duo skidded clumsily through the closing gap of the lift doors and then propped himself upright in the corner flashing Heero a peeved glare.

He then straightened in a sudden movement and smacked himself on the forehead.

"I forgot to pick up a gun!" He bemoaned. "I blame you for making me rush!" He pointed accusingly at Heero as the lift rose.

Heero didn't even glance at him. "So it had nothing to do with your incompetence?"

"Shut up," Duo huffed petulantly.

As the lift ground to a halt they both tensed, ready for another fight should there be any opposition waiting for them beyond the lift doors.

The doors slithered open, but they were met with empty air and no resistance.

"Lets go." Heero commanded to Duo as he made a run for the nearest cover in the hanger. He trusted Duo enough to follow at his heels.

They both dashed for the shadows behind the legs of the line of Virgo Suits. With the engineers gone it was an easy hiding spot.

A look over to the hanger exit showed that it was guarded by a collection of ten heavily armed soldiers, lined up to block any escape.

A glimpse through a gap in the crates that they had hidden behind earlier revealed that there were just as many soldiers guarding the back door. There was absolutely no chance of escaping by foot.

Heero turned his attention to the suits they were standing under. Half of them had their wire guts spilling free, or missing limbs, thus they were out of commission. The few that looked to be in working order had their cockpits sealed. It would take far too long to crack the entrance code so it looked like the idea of flying to freedom was an impossible task.

So what did that leave?

There was a faint moan from behind him and the sound of Duo sliding to the floor. Heero spun to find Duo sitting on the concrete ground, his back pressed to the foot of a Virgo, his head bowed, jaw clenched. His hand trembled as he rose it press it against his quaking chest.

"I- I can't-" He gasped out, his eyes screwed shut and voice pained. The hand that was pressed to his chest clenched into a tight fist.

Before Heero could take a step towards the downed pilot, a vast explosion rocked the base. Heero flung out an arm to balance himself against the Mobile Suit leg.

The soldiers in the Hanger cried out in alarm and a few stumbled to the ground unable to stay standing as the floor shook like an earthquake was taking place.

A Mobile Suit toppled over at the end of the long line of Virgo's creating a domino effect, but luckily it stopped three suits short of the one that they were hiding under. Stacks of crates collapsed and shattered their contents across the floor and the ground shifted as a colossal crack in the concrete split the Hanger into two halves, spewing concrete dust into the air like steam out of a fissure. The Hanger lights flickered and went out plunging them into darkness for a moment before the emergency lighting kicked into life. The lighting was dimmed from its previous glare, but that worked in their favour. Visibility was low, so the chance of remaining unseen was high.

Heero's eyes took in the chaos and damage and then turned on Duo. "What was that? It was far more than C4." He accused.

Duo raised his head to give Heero a devilish grin, all signs of pain gone from his countenance, leaving only a lingering weariness.

"Oh, I lost my last few C4's so I improvised at the ammunition lockup…and by the feel of it, I just blew up half of the underground base in one go. The planted C4 should take care of the rest of it once were clear."

"How did you detonate?" Heero asked suspiciously. "I didn't see you use a detonator of any kind."

"Secret." Duo winked, and carefully pushed himself to his feet on wobbly legs. "So, how about we get out of this place? I want this mission over with now, I'm tired and hungry."

Heero filed his many questions away for future use. They had to focus on escaping first.

He scanned his eyes over everything in the Hanger again with his mind working in overdrive.

His sharp gaze fell on a parked open-top jeep on the other side of the Hanger, its headlights pointing in their direction.

"02, move to the jeep."

"Good plan," Duo agreed. "You cover our fronts, you've got the gun. I'll cover our asses."

Glad to see Duo back in some semblance of his former form, Heero took lead as they used the after-confusion of the explosion to make a sprint for the vehicle.

* * *

Duo followed behind Heero at a run. Heero's fast pace far outstripped his and the gap between them grew as they continued to sprint towards their possible escape. Duo was beyond frustrated with his body's current limitations, but there nothing he could do about it. His leg muscles kept cramping and faintly trembling, and his chest ached as if he'd been running for miles on end. His shot arm burned with agony whenever he jarred it, and sadly running required a lot of unavoidable pain. Yet he forced his body to keep going.

Heero was already at the jeep and he looked back to give Duo a disapproving frown for his unsatisfactory pace.

Well screw him, he couldn't go any faster.

Heero turned to lean into the driver's side of the jeep to look for the possibility of keys.

Duo's eyes caught a flicker of movement up ahead, to Heero's right, but slightly further back.

An armed soldier cautiously stepped out from behind the stacks of crates, his rifle levelled at the unaware Wing pilot. He was taking aim. Heero was going to get shot in the back and he was completely unaware of it.

Time seemed to stand still for Duo.

He stopped breathing. He stopped thinking. His voice felt stuck in his throat.

Instinct took over his body and mind.

Without really knowing what he was doing, Duo threw himself forwards in a full out sprint, his body's tiredness swept away by adrenalin.

His legs moved faster than they ever had before, reaching inhuman speeds that made him feel like he was barely touching the floor.

Duo covered the remaining distance in barely a second, but his quick eyes noted on the way that the soldier was already squeezing the trigger. He wasn't going to make it in time to stop him from firing.

The rifle trigger was pulled. Twice.

* * *

A shift in the air and was the only brief warning Heero had before two rapid shots echoed throughout the Hanger.

Heero spun in surprise, his gun arm automatically rising towards the shooter only for Duo to crash into him from the side, which was a surprise because the last he'd looked Duo was still some distance behind him.

Duo's momentum slammed them both into the rear tyre arch of jeep and Heero smashed his elbow against the metal plating of the door causing pain to radiate out from that point, extreme enough to almost make him drop his gun.

He received a face full of chestnut hair before he caught Duo with his free arm and shifted him slightly so he could aim with his raised gun.

Spotting the solitude soldier he narrowed his eyes in hate and released one bullet with deadly accuracy.

The man fell to the floor with a slack jaw and a hole in his heart.

Heero staggered under Duo's heavy weight bringing his full attention back to his comrade who was slumping in Heero's one-armed hold.

"02, get up and get moving," Heero snapped in annoyance. The other soldiers surely would have heard the sound of gunshots. They would be here any second to investigate.

Duo gave no response.

"02?"

Heero shook him urgently. No movement.

Heero shifted Duo's form again to try and see his face, but as he unwound his arm from around Duo's chest he felt a warm wet substance oozing over his skin.

A sinking feeling overcame him as he looked down in shock at the crimson liquid dripping off his arm.

Blood.

His stomach lurched and he felt strangely sick.

Heavy running footsteps converging on their location made Heero focus again.

With little effort he scooped up Duo's limp body in his arms.

Heero didn't have much choice but to toss Duo unceremoniously into the back of the open-top jeep, but luckily he landed with a limp bounce on the padded seating in the back. He didn't stir from the rough treatment which was disconcerting.

Thankfully the keys were already in the ignition. The original alternative if the keys were missing was to hot-wire the military vehicle, but that wasn't an option anymore with so little time to escape.

Heero jumped into the driver's seat and turned the ignition key making the engine roar into life.

He ducked his head as gunshots rang out from behind, along with shouts of "Halt!".

Bullets whizzed by and some ricocheted off the metal plating of the side and back of the jeep. The windscreen shattered into thousands of pieces and Heero was showered with glittering diamonds, but he ignored the tiny nicks of pain they created on his hands and up the length of his bare arms as they bounced off. He was completely focused on getting himself and Duo out of the base alive and finishing the mission.

Was Duo even alive? He hadn't the time to check.

He slammed his foot down on the floor pedal and the vehicle thrust forwards with a squeal of burning rubber.

He put the military jeep to test on its acceleration.

At unsafe speeds he manoeuvred around any obstacle in his path on the hanger floor, like crates that had spilled out across the concrete, or oil slicks from upturned barrels.

There was gunfire coming at them from all directions as the enemy spread out to herd them away from the exit. The soldiers were desperate to stop them from escaping, but Heero's driving skills helped to avoid the worst of their assault and the car's armour plating took care of the rest.

The open Hanger doors came into full view directly ahead and Heero cursed inwardly as he saw the same soldiers he'd spied earlier still standing in a long line in front of the exit in an attempt at a human blockade.

Behind them the Hanger doors were mechanically closing.

Pressing the accelerator down to the floor, Heero steered straight for the exit.

All of the soldiers raised their guns and took aim at the fast approaching jeep, but Heero was unfazed.

Decisively at the last moment he flicked on the jeep's fog headlights.

This had the desired effect on the soldiers as most of them threw up their arms to shield their eyes against the sudden blinding light, and predictably lost their aim.

Blaring the jeep's horn to add to the confusion, Heero sped straight at the disorientated men.

A few took lousy shots at him, and the rest just stood staring dumbly at the vehicle barrelling towards them until they realised that it was not going to stop, and wisely jumped out of the way.

The jeep slipped through the closing gap of the Hanger doors and warm fresh air washed over Heero as he drove out into the open.

The summer sun was setting, revealing its blood red glory and causing lengthened shadows to cast eerie smudges across the decrepit concrete floor.

Heero might have admired the view if he wasn't driving insanely fast across an enemy base trying to escape and take his comrade as far away as possible to keep him safe from OZ's clutches. OZ would never get hold of Duo…dead or alive. Heero swore by it.

He raced in the direction of the base exit since it was the only way to get to the main road without having to drive through a wire fence and into dense forest. There was no chance that the wide jeep could fit through the trees.

The exit and entrance to the base only consisted of an old abandoned guard post and barricade so it would be no problem to pass.

As predicted, the guard post was no longer unguarded, and the six present guards shot at him as the vehicle approached but they dove to one side as Heero smashed through the pathetic plastic excuse for a barrier.

And then it was suddenly exhilarating freedom on the open road.

Of course Oz would be starting to organise a chase, by either road vehicle or Mobile Suit. Maybe both. But as they reached the point where the jeep was a mile from the base, Heero reached towards his belt with one hand whilst the other remained on the steering wheel.

He fingered his detonator thinking that Duo should have had the honour instead.

He pressed down on the button.

A distant explosion met his ears, and in the one remaining wing mirror that remained intact, he saw a billow of thick black smoke fill the air.

He smirked with satisfaction.

"Mission complete."

But at what cost?

Heero's thoughts snapped back to Duo but he kept his eyes on the road, fighting the urge to look over his shoulder at his friend's still form.

_He's not dead. He can't be dead. _His confident mentality was slipping through his grasp as he drove.

A low moan came from the back of the jeep.

Heero felt light-headed as relief flooded over him like a tidal wave.

Duo was alive. For now at least.

He accelerated even faster down the road.

Duo gave another muted groan of pain showing signs of regaining consciousness and Heero wanted nothing more than for him to open his eyes and declare that he had nothing more than a flesh wound. A quick glance down at the blood smeared down his arm gave Heero little hope of that. The blood had been thick and dark in colour, and dark blood usually signified a ruptured organ or artery. Either was very likely to be fatal. But considering that Duo was still clinging to life, it wasn't an artery injury or else he would have bled out by now.

Duo finally stirred.

"H- He- ro?" His voice croaked out barely above a whisper.

* * *

Echoing sounds surrounded him but he couldn't see anything but smothering darkness.

Voices, muffled bangs…gunshots? Breaking glass, a squeal of tires, a roaring car engine, more gunshots, more shouting…then the smell of fresh air and whistling wind.

A glowing blood red light that felt warm replaced the darkness. Duo recoiled away from it in fear that it was real blood. It felt like he was drowning in the fluid light and it was a constant battle to stay afloat, but he was going under and his lungs were filling with blood making it hard to breath.

A voice reached out to him through the haze.

"…sion complete."

Duo latched onto the voice like a lifeline and it pulled him to the surface.

He became aware of his body…and it hurt.

A low moan escaped his throat as his mind writhed in agony.

No matter how much he wanted to return to his sea of blood to drown peacefully, he couldn't. The pain brought him even closer to the surface against his will.

Now he could feel, hear, taste and smell everything, but he still couldn't see anything but the light filtering through his closed eyelids, the blood vessels making the light a glowing red that he recognised from his unconscious nightmares. It wasn't so sinister now that he was more aware, in fact it was rather comforting. He felt cold, and the light (the sun?) was warm on his skin which was a nice feeling.

He could feel bumps and vibrations through the rough cushioned surface he was lying on and the rumble of a vehicle's engine met his ears.

The position he was lying in felt odd so he shifted his body slightly.

He couldn't help the weak groan he gave as pain flared through his torso.

The metallic tang of blood was present in his throat and the scent of it was overpowering in the air.

His lungs burned as if filled with liquid fire which was bubbling like a volcano that was threatening to erupt and spill past his lips. Every breath seemed to kindle the burning flames within his chest.

With tremendous effort he sluggishly lifted his heavy eyelids.

The first thing he saw was the blood stained sky above him dotted with pink candyfloss clouds. The sun was setting in the corner of his eye and it was glaringly bright. He squinted his right eye closed again to shield himself from its flare.

His limbs were strangely numb and refused to obey his commands. He felt so tired and heavy, yet his head felt as if it was full of air and was trying to float off from the rest of his body.

Fear gripped him as it brought back memories of being paralysed on the operation table in Dr Gero's lab.

But that was a long time ago.

Heero came to mind. He was the last person that he remembered seeing. At the OZ base. As he was about to be shot.

The terrifying idea that he might have been captured came to the forefront of his mind. Did he get there in time to stop Heero dying? He couldn't remember.

"H- He- ro?" he rasped, his voice cracking because of his blood encrusted throat.

At first there was no answer and Duo's panic increased, but then a low voice responded.

"I'm here Duo,"

The panic drained away and was replaced by soothing calmness that eased his blood pressure.

"Y- You're n't hurt r' y-ya?" It hurt to talk even more than it did to breathe.

"No. Stop talking before you cause yourself further damage." Heero said sternly.

Ah, this felt like familiar ground

"You know I nev- er st'p talkin'," Duo reminded him with a small laugh, but it made his chest constrict tightly and the laugh quickly turned into a gasp for air and then a violent coughing fit.

Each cough racked his entire body with agony, but through his pain he tasted the blood that he was choking up. He tried to swallow it back but it was coming up too fast and it pooled in his mouth before it made its escape as a trickle out of the corner of his numb lips.

"Aw c- crap,"

"What is it?" Heero's voice asked sharply just out of view.

"L- lung pun- chered, n' I'm coughin' blood." He wheezed.

"Then stop talking and don't move. I estimate that we'll be arriving at the safe house in twenty-five minutes where medical attention can be given to you."

Duo felt like laughing hysterically. Medical attention? Heero meant a swab of antiseptic and a band aid. None of the pilots had the medical training or the equipment to save him from this. Considering the injury, a hospital would be hard pressed to save him.

Duo could faintly sense his own life energy draining. It was flowing out of his body along with his blood. It felt like a funny sinking feeling. He didn't have much energy left over from that ki bomb he'd set off earlier, and now he was losing what little he had left. His body was shutting down on him. He wasn't going to last much longer.

"No point, m' gonna die, I c'n feel it." He paused to smile humourlessly. "A- actually, I cn't f- feel much bu- but I know 'nyway."

"You are not going to die. Be quiet." Heero snapped. His voice wavered only slightly but Duo picked up on it.

"G- gonna miss me?" he asked with a delirious grin.

"You're not going anywhere so _shut up_!" Heero's tone sounded furious and Duo closed his mouth in surprise.

No one spoke for the next five minutes and Duo didn't have anything to distract himself away from the searing heat in his chest and his thoughts of death. He faded in and out of coherency; the only measure of time he had was his awareness of each painful wheezing breath he took.

He was about to say something random to break the silence, but Heero spoke first. "You're an idiot."

Duo's brain was too fuzzy to decipher what Heero was talking about.

"Huh?"

"Why didn't you call out to warn me. You wouldn't be in this situation if you'd used common sense."

Duo gawped. Heero was really pulling the 'it's all your fault' card?

"You ass!" Duo huffed. "N-no t-ime. You'd be d-dead."

That dampened Heero's ire.

There was another silence as neither of them could think of anything to say after that short argument.

Duo was usually the one who started the conversations but as time went by he was having increasing trouble gathering his thoughts.

His heavy eyelids were trying to close and he had to up the fight to stay awake. His whole body was becoming cold which wasn't much better than the previous burning heat when he'd been coughing up blood. But he knew that it was because of a lack of blood circulating through his heart, which was beating slower than what was healthy.

It was another stretch of time that felt like an eternity before Heero spoke.

"Duo, what's your condition?"

Duo was too tired to reply and he let his eyes close with a soft sigh.

"Duo? Duo, stay awake, you can't sleep. Maxwell!"

Duo's eyes shot open in surprise and he grumbled in protest. "Mmm…Heero, l-leave me 'lone, 'm tired. 'M gonna sleep." Even as he said it, he knew he wasn't supposed to sleep, but his tired body and mind cried out for a respite from this odd limbo between life and death.

"You can't sleep until your condition has been stabilised."

Duo was silent for a moment.

"M' cold," he finally murmured thinking of nothing better to say.

"Ignore it and stay awake," Heero ordered.

Duo paused again. He needed to word a heartfelt goodbye. He gathered his waning strength and forced himself to focus.

"'Ro?"

"Hn," was the quiet acknowledgment to show that he was grudgingly listening.

"Prom- ise me…" He stopped to swallow convulsively against the cloying blood in his throat before continuing. "…that you'll sur-survive. You're import-ant."

Duo's thoughts tried to drift but he forced his mouth to keep spewing the words he needed to convey.

"Look afta the guys…n' Relena. She's crazy bu' classy n' sh' likes you n' you like her. You should get h-hitched n' have li'le 'Ro and 'Lena b-babies…ha ha…" He was caught by another racking cough that stole his breath away, and the world faded in and out of black for a terrifying moment. "J-Just p-promise me… don't…die…"

"Duo, I can't-" Heero began with an exasperated edge to his voice.

"Promise!" Duo threw all his desperation behind his demand to reach the strength of voice that he needed to be heard.

Heero let out a sigh of frustration which was uncommon for him.

Perhaps Duo was asking for a miracle, but he had to try. Like Solo had passed the baton of life on to him, it was now his turn to pass it to Heero. Whether he wanted it or not.

"Fine," Heero said grimly. "I promise Duo, but it's…" Heero said something more but Duo couldn't find the effort to concentrate on his words any longer.

Heero had promised and that was all he needed to hear.

Duo looked up at the sky one last time with blurry eyes and took in every detail available to him since he figured that it was going to be the last thing he saw.

The sun must have just disappeared below the horizon because the sky wasn't crimson anymore. It was pale dark blue with a tint of pink and orange that outlined the clouds. Oddly enough he found the simple sight beautiful.

His eyes slid shut and he gratefully let himself sink back into his inner mind where he returned to his sea of blood. To his surprise and relief he found that the red light had changed into soothing black nothingness, and it allowed his mind to finally rest.

* * *

Heero felt his heart grow heavy as he listened to Duo speak.

The words sounded like his last.

As Duo asked him for his promise he felt that it was pointless. He didn't plan to live through the war, he didn't see much point. His purpose was fulfilled after the fighting ended; there was nothing left to live for.

"Duo, I can't-"

His fallen comrade cut him off with a forceful demand of "Promise!".

Duo successfully managed to evoke new thoughts.

Could he do it? It would be an entirely new kind of challenge. But he couldn't imagine attempting it without Duo there to guide him on the finer points of being an acceptable civilian.

He'd humour Duo this once.

"All right, I promise Duo, but it's a promise you will have to enforce because I will find it hard to keep."

He expected a retort from the Deathsythe pilot but there was nothing but the whistle of the wind and the engine's rumble.

"Duo?"

Nothing.

"I've already told you. Do _not_ fall asleep."

Nothing.

"Maxwell, wake up!"

Nothing.

"Duo?" Feeling his trepidation rise once again, Heero risked taking his eyes off the road to give a quick glance over his shoulder at his friend.

The bloodied and deathly pale braided boy had his eyelids closed, hiding his life filled eyes from view. Blood was freely seeping through his shirt and pooling onto the back seat where it was slowly soaking into the spongy material.

The amount of blood visible and Duo's earlier assertion about his punctured lung was a large indication as to how bad the wound was.

As Heero's gaze swept over his friend's body he let go of a breath that he hadn't realised he was holding until he saw Duo's chest rise and fall in rhythm.

"Duo! Wake up!" Heero barked harshly in a last attempt.

Nothing.

He turned his attention back to the road so he didn't swerve off an approaching bend.

Accelerating the jeep again, Heero drove faster towards the wooded area by the safe house.

He would arrive in no time at all due to the speed he intended to maintain for the rest of the journey, but then he would have waste precious time parking the jeep a safe distance away from the house, where it could be hidden in case they were tracked by OZ.

He could tell that it was precisely 9.23pm because the sun had just vanished below the horizon. The sky was strangely beautiful this evening with the different colours blurring together like a painted canvas.

_Hold on Duo, don't die on me. You can make it. I know you can._

* * *

Wufei idly watched Quatre pace the length of the living room from his seat in the bay window.

Backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards.

The blonde pilot hadn't been able to sit still for well over half an hour. He was restless and tense, and nothing Wufei or Trowa said or did managed to soothe him.

Quatre had vocalised his inner worries many times over by repeating, "Something doesn't feel right," as he moved around the house in a state of agitation.

Wufei had to agree. Something inside of him felt…wrong. The very air in the room hummed with a sense of foreboding, but it was easily accountable because of Quatre's obvious distress.

But no matter how much Wufei dismissed it all as a load of rubbish, he kept glancing out of the living room bay window to scan the darkening forest. He couldn't explain why.

Backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards. Quatre's movements were almost hypnotic.

Trowa sat on the couch trying to read a book, but Wufei had noted long ago that his eyes were staring blankly as if not taking anything in, and the page had yet to be turned.

Quatre clasped his hands behind his back as he continued to pace.

Backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, backwards and… he stopped still. A hand shot up reflexively up to his heart.

Instead of looking to the troubled teenager Wufei gave into his compelling urge once more and glanced out of the window- just in time to see an unidentifiable dark shadow move out of the trees towards the house at a rapid rate.

"Someone's outside," Wufei lowered his voice and drew his gun as he prowled over to the door.

Quatre ran past Wufei and tore open the front door with such force that it was almost flung off its hinges. It was a dangerous disregard of house safety rules to not covertly check who was at the door before opening it to possible wolves in sheepskin clothing.

As Wufei strode over with a reproach on his tongue he saw Quatre turn white as a sheet at what he was viewing. He looked faint all of a sudden and gasped out breathlessly, "Oh, no…"

With his hand on his gun, Wufei peered over Quatre's shoulder and froze at the sight before him. He was only partially aware of Trowa appearing at his back to investigate as well.

Heero stood rigidly on the threshold. His clothing was stained with blood and his arms and hands were coated crimson.

There was no apparent injury on his body but his face was twisted into an expression of inner turmoil.

Held closely in his arms was another human form.

The dangling braid identified it as Duo instantly.

In the fading light Wufei couldn't tell if he was alive or not. He wasn't moving.

"Is he ali-" Wufei started to question uneasily, but he was cut off sharply by the Wing pilot as he pushed his way inside the house, being unusually gentle with Duo's body.

He strode up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, his pace urgent but controlled. Wufei exchanged ill at ease glances with Trowa and Quatre before they all rushed up the stairs after him.

Wufei reached the landing in time to see Heero kick open his bedroom door and sweep inside.

Following closely behind, all of them entered the dark room. Heero turned to them expectantly, Duo still held protectively by his blood smeared hands that had taken so many lives in the past. "The light," He prompted.

Trowa flicked the light switch and the yellow glow lit up the Duo's features.

Wufei sucked in a ragged breath as he took in the unnatural white-grey complexion of Duo's usually light tanned skin. He noted the dried blood smeared across one side of his face, plus the fresh rivulet down the corner of his mouth that stood out in stark contrast.

His black clothing had spreading darker patches that looked damp, and both of his white cuffs were bright red with blood. He looked so young cradled in Heero's arms.

Wufei almost wrote him off as dead but then he saw the struggling rise and fall of his chest.

Wufei had never been one to sit around and watch from the side lines. He flew into action.

"What are his injuries?" He demanded of Heero, who was just standing in the middle of the room clutching Duo and looking at a loss as of what to do with him. The question gave him focus.

"I haven't been able to analyse the extent of his wounds. Getting us out of the base and to safety was the main priority. But I suspect that he has been shot three times in total. He informed me himself about a gun wound to the arm. A non-threatening injury." He looked down at the mess of Duo's chest and his eyes narrowed. "One, possibly two bullets to the chest cavity, shot from a two meter distance, 35% angle. Lung damage confirmed with resulting breathing difficulties."

"Lay him down," Quatre directed. "We need to have a clear view of what we're dealing with."

The Wing pilot moved to place Duo down on the nearest bed and then stepped back wiping his bloodstained hands on his shorts.

Trowa and Wufei urgently swept down on Duo's still form to check over injuries.

Trowa revealed a knife and cut away Duo's sleeve in a quick, practised move. He passed the blade to Wufei and then surveyed the bullet wound. "No exit wound. The bullet is still in his upper right arm."

Wufei made a few slashes with the knife, then cautiously peeled back Duo's blood-soaked shirt and winced at what he saw.

There was a bullet wound in his shoulder which was bad enough, but worse there was a small circular bullet hole in his chest that was barely visible through the thick coating of blood that was oozing ceaselessly. The shot was too close to the heart for comfort.

Rolling Duo onto his side he proceeded to look for any exit wounds. There were none. That could only mean that the bullets were still inside his body.

Things were not looking hopeful.

"Hm, one bullet in the shoulder, and by the looks of it it's lodged into the collarbone, and another dangerous shot to the centre of the chest cavity, approximately two centimetres from the heart. I'm certain that his right lung is on its way to collapsing judging by the amount of blood he's losing and how his breathing is laboured."

"Here," Heero said shoving a medical kit into Wufei's hands.

The Shenlong pilot hadn't even noticed that he had left the room at all.

Wufei just shook his head and sighed sadly.

"It's no use Yuy. Maxwell is not going to live through the night, his wounds are too severe. I doubt a hospital could save him, never mind a few bandages and painkillers…"

"Try." Was Heero's only reply. He was glaring at Wufei with an intense fierceness.

"I'm no Doctor, Yuy, and I'm certainly not a miracle worker!" Wufei snapped back.

"But we have to try," Quatre reflected the same determination as Heero.

Trowa nodded in agreement, his fingers already timing the pulse at Duo's throat against his watch.

Wufei gave a grunt of grudging acceptance and laid the first aid kit on the bed. He threw open the lid and began to pull out the assortment of items.

"I'm going to need help with this."


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me._

Ta da! A new chapter! Thank you to the people still reviewing and faving this fic and any fans still following it. It's 4 in the morning but i'm determined to post. My eyeballs feel like they're melting so i've given up proof reading. Point out any mistakes and i'll gladly correct them.

Enjoy! ~PFF

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**Chapter 15**

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Steam swirled in the humid air and stuck to his skin cloyingly.

Heero took a steady breath and reached across the sink to twist the hot tap off.

The last of the scalding water circled down the drain, tinted pink by diluted blood.

The skin of Heero's hands and arms felt raw from where he'd methodically scrubbed away the blood that had dried there, but it was a good kind of pain. He felt clean and somehow lighter now.

But his green tank top was still stained with Duo's blood and no amount of washing would ever remove the evidence. Blood was notoriously hard to wash out of clothes. He'd have to burn it.

Taking another steady breath he dried his arms on the nearby towel and exited the bathroom, plunging the room into darkness as he tugged on the light cord.

The moment the bathroom door opened out into the bedroom the smell of fresh blood hit his nose sharply. The wretched heavy atmosphere hit him a fraction of a second later and he felt it settle heavily on his chest.

As he swung the door shut behind him Heero's eyes involuntarily went to his bed where Duo lay.

Quatre had cleaned him up as much as possible. His shirt had been cut completely away, exposing his chest. The two gauze pads taped over his bullet wounds were already soaked through with blood even though they had only just been freshly replaced before Heero had left the room to clean himself up. It was the third time Wufei had been forced to change the gauze in the past hour they'd been working on him. Their only positive achievement was that the wound in his arm had finally stopped bleeding. The bullet had been expertly removed by Trowa and neatly stitched up by Wufei, but there was nothing they could do to divest him of the two other bullets. They were lodged too deep inside to simply take out with tweezers.

They had done all they could possibly accomplish. Heero knew that it was not enough though. Duo had lost too much blood.

Quatre was a universal blood donor but it would be a waste to attempt a transfusion.

Duo's lung had collapsed not more than ten minutes ago. With every laboured breath he took, a terrible wheezing wet gurgle issued forth.

Heero was glad that Duo remained unconscious. It was better that he wasn't aware of his own slow agonising death.

Sitting vigilant at Duo's bedside, Quatre reached out to measure the Deathsythe pilot's pulse. His findings must have been grim because his mouth pinched and his aqua eyes despaired. He glanced up and caught Heero's gaze. He gave a minute shake of his head and turned away again, giving Duo's limp hand a reassuring squeeze.

It wouldn't be much longer now. Duo's complexion was chalk white. Surely he would bleed dry or even suffocate due to the blood slowly filling lungs.

The only sound in the eerily quiet room was the slow and painful draws of breath from the dying boy on the bed.

Trowa was leaning rigidly against the far wall with downcast eyes, his arms tensed across his chest, fists clenched.

Wufei was sitting cross legged on Duo's bed reorganising what was left of the first aid supplies. His brow was drawn into a permanent deep-set frown and his movements seemed almost angry.

He must have sensed Heero's fleeting gaze because he looked up from his task. He regarded Heero for a long moment then narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "Tell me, Yuy," he said in a deceptively tranquil tone of voice, "How did this come about?"

Heero's throat closed even as he instinctively shifted his stance to stand taller and defiant in the face of Wufei's indirect accusation.

Trowa's gaze lifted to pin Heero, his gaze flat and pitiless.

Quatre didn't turn but his neck muscles tensed signifying that he was paying rapt attention to the conversation.

Heero couldn't remain mute on the issue. He pondered the honest answer before committing to it.

"He took the two bullets meant for me. My awareness slipped and I almost paid for it with my life. Duo placed himself in harms way to save me." The words tasted bitter in his mouth and he couldn't deter his instinctive glance over at Duo's still form before his eyes snapped back at the sound of Wufei's scoff.

"The Great Heero Yuy dropped his ever-vigilant defences? I don't believe it."

Heero gave Wufei a cool look of superiority. "Believe what you will."

Quatre twisted on his chair to break up the thinly veiled argument.

"Duo wouldn't have risked his own life if he didn't think yours was worth saving, Heero. I know he would lay down his life for any of us. It's in his nature to protect those close to him. I would gladly die for him in return. I'd die for any of you." His conviction was so sure that it astounded Heero. How had he earned such unwavering loyalty? "If anyone is to blame for this injustice, it should be OZ. Wufei, your anger is misplaced." He scolded the Shenlong pilot and Wufei scowled impertinently, his pride too resilient to allow him to instantly admit that he was in the wrong.

There was a long edgy silence until Wufei's anger receded naturally. "It would be an honourable death," Wufei humbly conceded, "to die for a comrade."

Trowa nodded wordlessly; whether in agreement or just simple acceptance of their belief, Heero couldn't determine.

Heero chose to remain silent on the matter. He doubted that he would choose to die for any one of his comrades; his survival instinct was too strong. Beside, he wasn't supposed to have attachments to anyone or anything. That had been his first rule all throughout his life…and yet apparently Duo had managed to slip past his defences that he had built up so high. Now, all of the cracks in his armoured wall were visible and he was unpleasantly surprised by his self-indulgence. He was sentimentally attached to Duo even if he mildly resented his new dependence on their growing friendship.

Heero's eyes were unwillingly pulled to Duo's bloodied body once again. His chest was barely moving anymore, the rattling breaths coming few and far between. He wouldn't live for much longer. He'd already beaten the odds by managing to endure this long.

Heero resigned himself to watch Duo die in morbid silence.

In a sudden move that caused Heero's breath to catch and his hand to spasm to his holster, the bedroom door burst open with a violent flourish, knocking it half off its hinges from the force.

A single figure stood framed in the doorway.

It was a boy of around 16 or 17 years of age with wild windswept black hair. He was wearing the odd choice of a dark purple fighting gi and Heero noted that he looked of Japanese origin.

His onyx eyes were wide with desperation and fear.

"_I'm not too late am I?" _He asked urgently in rapid Japanese as he strode boldly into the room.

In an instant four different guns were trained on the intruder's head.

He paused uncertainly for a moment but then decided to slowly raise his hands in a sign of peace, finally conscious of the dangerous territory he'd walked into.

"Who are you and what are you doing here? Speak quickly!" Wufei barked in English, unable to speak Japanese fluently beyond a couple of phrases.

The older boy licked his lips nervously as his eyes darted to Duo's still form. His body twitched forwards as if to go to him.

"Don't move." Quatre warned evenly, his aim unwavering from where he sat.

The unknown stranger sighed in exasperation, dropping his arms to his sides and also dropping the pretence of uncertainty.

"I haven't got time for this," he bit out in exasperation, flawlessly managing to switch to the English language.

He took a step further into the room in frank defiance of their demands to remain motionless so Heero had no qualms in releasing a bullet at his forehead.

But the bullet never made contact.

The boy's form blurred, then flickered and vanished causing the slug to pass harmlessly through empty air before it splintered into the solid wood doorframe.

There was no trace left of him.

There was a beat of silence where no one dared to breathe.

"Was that an image?" Trowa asked uncertainly.

"A hologram maybe?" Wufei added his guess.

An astonished gasp from Quatre and a heavy thump made them whirl around with their guns raised.

The tousle-haired teenager was now kneeling next to Duo's bed.

Quatre was sprawled out across the floor looking dazed with his chair upturned next to him. By appearances it seemed that he had tipped his chair over backwards in his surprise.

The blond quickly rolled to his feet, his wide eyed stare fixed on the older teen even as he repositioned his aim.

"How-?" Wufei started to question but the boy's frantic murmurings cut him off.

"Where is it? I know it's here somewhere -ah ha!" He pulled out a small object from the side pocket of his gi. It looked strangely like a small green bean.

"Stop right there!" Wufei shouted in fury. "Don't you dare lay a finger on him!"

The anonymous teenager threw a daring look back at them. "If you want him to die then go ahead and shoot me, for what little good it will do. I can save him if you let me."

"We don't even know who you are." Trowa reasoned.

"Does it matter?" He huffed and turned his attention back to Duo.

His spine visibly stiffened and he sucked in an audible gasp. He wavered forwards on his knees to hover a hand over Duo's mouth and nose, and then quickly moved to press an ear to Duo's chest. He straightened again with his frame full of tension. "He's not breathing, and his heartbeat is slowing."

The horrifying declaration made Heero's gun aim waver slightly before he pulled his focus back.

"Get back." Heero ordered wrathfully.

"No!" was the sharp retort, "I can still save him, he's not gone." He pried open Duo's mouth and squeezed the juice of the green seed past Duo's lips before popping the rest of the mashed up bean in. He then tilted Duo's head back to stroke the throat muscles causing the body to reflexively swallow.

He rocked back on the balls of his feet and clasped Duo's hand in both of his own, pleading under his breath, "Come on, this has to work. Please stay alive…please don't tell me I'm too late…please…"

The seconds ticked by and Heero's entire being sank with grief. For an absurd moment Heero had almost believed that this stranger really could help.

But then in a move that staggered everyone, Duo's chest suddenly expanded and he sucked in a desperate lungful of air.

After a few choked gasps his breathing evened out and he sank down into what appeared to be a peaceful sleep. Colour slowly ebbed back into his skin until he had regained his natural healthy complexion.

The stranger slumped against the side of the mattress in relief, his breath leaving him in a shaky sigh. "Phew, that was close."

"Wha- h- how?" Quatre gulped back his stutters and tried to steady his words. "Who are you?" he finally managed in flabbergasted disbelief.

The stranger stood with confidence and turned to face them flashing a friendly smile that was completely out of place when at gun point.

"Hello, I'm Gohan Son, it's nice to meet you,"

Heero didn't detect any sarcasm. He was being perfectly pleasant.

Quatre gave an unsure smile back, cautiously accepting the stranger's easy smile and greeting.

Heero had had enough of this.

"Back away from Duo." He growled out, emphasising each word with lethal sting. His protective instincts were in overdrive now that Duo had been snatched back from deaths door.

Gohan looked to Heero with a baffled frown, but then obeyed and slowly moved over to Duo's unoccupied bed to sit down on the edge. He proceeded to inspect each their faces in turn.

"How did you do that?" Trowa asked. His eyes stared suspiciously at the unusual boy down the sight of his handgun.

"Do what?" Gohan asked with a hint of naivety.

"Everything. The hologram, reviving Duo, finding us?" Trowa tone suggested that he was irritated by the boy's casual ease.

"You keep calling him _Duo_, is that what he's going by now?" Gohan puzzled, neatly managing to avoid answering any of the questions posed to him by countering with questions of his own. "I thought he liked his original name so I'm surprised he changed it. But then again, maybe I shouldn't be surprised by anything."

The pilots exchanged quick confused glances.

"You know him?" Heero asked doubtfully.

"Yep," Gohan replied with a wide grin that they all recognised instantly as Duo's- dimples and all. "I'm his brother."

There was a ripple of disconcert through the room.

Wufei leant fractionally into Heero to mutter in a low voice, "That smile does look remarkably familiar," He speculated. "Do you think it's feasible that he could be related to Maxwell?"

Heero didn't get to reply because Gohan spoke up instead.

"We really are brothers, but I can see that he'll have to confirm that for you before you believe me." He cocked his head to the side curiously. "I thought that his name was Duo, but you called him Maxwell- which is it?"

Wufei stared with surprised eyes at the teenager, amazed that he had heard the whispered words from the other side of the room.

Heero was impressed with his hearing ability but was now all the more distrustful.

"His name is Duo Maxwell," The Shenlong pilot responded tartly. "As you claim to know him I thought that his name would be basic information."

"I haven't seen him in years," Gohan gave a regretful frown. "He's made a new life for himself here; he even changed his family name."

"So you claim to be his brother?" Heero asked sceptically. "Duo doesn't have any remaining family. He spent most of his life orphaned on the streets so I don't see how you could be his brother by blood."

Gohan's eyes went wide in dismay but then his expression darkened with self deprecation. "Damn it," he cursed in a low hiss. "Well I'm here to take him home to his family. I don't even know if we'll ever be able to make up for his life here, but we can try."

"Take him home?" Wufei repeated in appalled disbelief. "No, you can't do that. We need him in this war, our side can't afford to lose him!"

"A war? He's fighting in it?" Gohan asked looking slightly dazed at the new information.

"Yes, a war. Where have you been lately?" Wufei criticized.

"Er…well I guess I'm a little behind in the times…" He replied sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck- another of Duo's well-known gestures that Heero recognised.

A soft groan from Duo caught everyone's attention and Gohan leapt to his feet in anticipation.

"Duo?" Quatre called hopefully.

Duo twisted his body, stretching out his muscles as he was roused from sleep. His eyelashes fluttered and his eyebrows furrowed as he turned his head away from the glare of the overhead bedroom light that disturbed his rest. He gave a sleepy huff of displeasure and grudgingly squinted one eye open to peer at them blearily.

"What do you want?" He grunted with displeasure. "I was sleepin'."

Heero's heart bobbed like a helium-filled balloon in his chest. To hear his voice was overwhelming.

Duo was alive. Heero could temporally overlook the 'how's and why's'. All that mattered was that Duo was in the here and now and not relegated to past tense.

* * *

Duo could hear the murmur of voices. Goddamn, they were annoying him; he couldn't block out their sharp argumentative tones. They weren't even trying to keep their voices down. Couldn't they see that he was trying to sleep here?

He groggily gave a low groan of frustration at being disturbed from his deep sleep and started to enter the world of the living again.

Why did his mouth taste like something had crawled in there and died? He flexed his throat muscles to try and clear the nasty tasting gunk from behind his tonsils. It tasted like blood. Had he had a nose bleed in his sleep? Reopened a split lip? It wouldn't be the first time it had happened.

"Duo?" Quatre's voice beckoned. What did he want?

He carefully squinted open an eye.

Gah! Were they trying to blind him? Who the hell had put the light on at this time of night?

"What do you want?" He grunted with displeasure. "I was sleepin'."

He cautiously opened his other eye to try and understand the scene before him.

"We having a pyjama party or somethin'?" He asked in bafflement as he realised that his comrades were randomly standing in his room.

His brain jolted awake with the realisation that they all had their guns in hand.

He bolted upright in his bed but was distracted and confused as the bed sheets came with him during the transition. They were stuck to his bare back by something sticky that was drying to his skin, and damn it itched something terrible. He folded an arm back and tugged the sticky sheet loose. His fingers met a gloopy liquid coating his back and he brought his hand around to inspect it.

He hoped to god that he hadn't had a wet dream during the night. That would be a whole new level of embarrassment.

But the substance was coloured a dark red.

He rubbed it between his fingers with a grimace.

Wasn't this congealed blood?

He urgently reached back again to find the source of the injury he was sure he had.

He didn't feel any pain but what other explanation was there for the blood?

"What-?" He started to ask but he glanced down at his chest as the felt a pull on his skin. His eyes widened as he blatantly stared at the blood soaked gauze taped in two places to his own body.

He couldn't feel the wounds. It was either the best morphine he'd ever experienced, or something wasn't quite right with this picture.

"What the hell?" He uttered in bewilderment as he raised his eyes back up to meet those of his fellow pilots.

They were staring at him with wide disbelieving eyes and they also looked a few shades paler than normal.

"Someone please explain."

There was an unsure pause.

"I have absolutely no clue, Maxwell. Ask him." Wufei said feebly, pointing over to Duo's side of the room where a black-haired teenager was standing looking hesitant.

Duo blinked in stupefaction having not noticed the house's new occupant before now.

He had a mental flap over not being within reach of a gun. He felt exposed sitting in (Heero's?) bed, unarmed and without a shirt on. "Er, hi…who are you?"

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten me so easily, Shin Son," the older boy said with a shy playfulness, a smidgen of hope, and a large undercurrent of uncertainty.

Duo stared blankly. "Shin Son? I haven't been called that since…since…" He gawked, eyes roving over the figure once again. "…Gohan?" He asked in a tremulous voice that sounded laughably childlike to his ears.

Duo quickly scanned the teenager's ki signature to double-check his guess and was rewarded with the undeniable evidence that it was Gohan Son.

Gohan nodded and gave a huge Son smile banishing away any of Duo's remaining insecurities.

An odd sound escaped from the back of Duo's throat that sounded like a strangled gasp and he lunged for the older teen.

Gohan opened his arms at the last moment and Duo dived into them. They collided together and fell backward onto Duo's bed in a tangle of limbs.

Out of the corner of his eye, Duo saw Heero raise his gun with the assumption that the Deathsythe pilot was attacking the stranger but Duo let out a joyful laugh and Heero sharply lowered his gun again as he realised that they were just having an emotional reunion.

Duo clung to Gohan as if he was trying to bodily meld with him and he was reassured by Gohan's equally tight embrace.

Feeling that they had reached the maximum bodily contact limit before it became awkward, he pulled back and stood back up, offering a hand to pull Gohan up with him. He tilted his head to stare up into the beaming face of his taller and older brother with a matching grin on his face and unshed tears in the back of his eyes making his sight blurry. He refused to cry though.

The memory of Solo's motto 'Boys don't cry' kept the tears at bay.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Duo choked out hoarsely. His throat was burning with suppressed tears. "I thought that you'd forgotten me."

"You idiot," Gohan rebuked softly as he ruffled Duo's fringe. Gohan's onyx eyes were shining with unshed tears as well but his smile had gained a bitter sweet twist. "How could we ever forget about you?"

Duo flushed as he remembered that he was in the presence of his comrades. He was losing manly pilot pride points. "Look at me; I'm acting all sappy," He grimaced in jest and sniffed back the tears that were trying to escape via his sinuses.

"So am I." Gohan gave a subdued chuckle. "Vegeta would blow his top if he saw us now; two supposedly fearsome Saiyans behaving sappily."

Duo turned to his four friends who were tactically trying to give Duo and Gohan some privacy without actually leaving the room.

"Hey, guys, this is my brother, Gohan, he's cool so you can put your guns away and chill."

Heero reluctantly holstered his gun and gave Duo a heated glare. "I wasn't aware that you had any living relatives left."

"I didn't," Duo answered truthfully and his smile slipped fractionally. "I mean, I didn't know either. Not until just now."

Duo remembered with a start that Gohan hadn't come alone so he opened up his senses and felt for Mirai's ki. He pinpointed him, needlessly, just as Mirai walked through the open bedroom door which Duo noticed with a quirked eyebrow was half hanging off one hinge.

Mirai appeared taller (or had he always been that tall?) and officially an adult. He must have been in his mid to late twenties by now but he hadn't changed very much in appearance going by memory.

He was wearing a loose fitting black fighting gi that showed his muscular build, with his identifiable sword sheath strapped to his back.

His straight lavender hair was just long enough to fall loosely into his icy blue eyes.

All four of his comrades' guns rose again at the new intruder.

"Down boys," Duo grouched. "I know him."

The guns lowered again one by one.

"Hello, Mirai," Duo greeted neutrally, not too sure where he stood with the man. Last he'd seen of him, Duo had been making off with his Time Machine. Never mind that they didn't share many fond memories between them, what with Mirai trying to kill him and all that baggage.

But he needn't have worried because as soon as Mirai's gaze locked with Duo's his face broke out into a wide grin that Duo couldn't place with his faded memory of the cold and serious teenager that he had known in the past.

"You're alive?" His keen eyes pinpointed the two bloody patches on Duo's chest and darted to his arm as well.

Duo followed his gaze and belatedly realised that he had blood dotted dressing wrapped around his upper arm. He flexed the muscle and felt nothing unusual, but the memory of receiving this wound was crystal clear. He'd been shot, he knew that for certain.

"Just barely, I see." Mirai said dryly. "Wow, this feels surreal. You're not a little kid anymore; you've really grown." His tilted to the side slightly so his eyes could curiously trace down the length of Duo's braid, wordlessly implying that Duo had grown more than was expected in the hair department.

Mirai's stare drifted back to the evidence of his injuries. "What happened to you? We sensed you slipping away and got here as fast as we could. We had to give up the pretence of being normal and fly the last leg of the journey but I don't think we were seen."

"I almost didn't make it in time," Gohan intoned gravely at Duo's side.

Mirai grimaced and gave Duo a mild look of disapproval. "Are those gun shot wounds? What trouble did you get yourself into?"

"Er, that's a big question 'cause I don't really remember." Duo looked to Heero for answers. "I'm guessin' the mission went even more ass up?"

Heero's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

"How?" Duo fished with mild annoyance at Heero's reluctance to expand on that short statement.

"It's because you're an idiot." Heero said flatly. Duo didn't miss the sideways scowl that Wufei pitched at the Wing pilot.

But Heero's vague answer still managed to trigger the memory of being shot in the chest. His hand rose to hover weakly over his chest as he remembered the ghost of searing pain. "Oh yeah, now I remember. I'm an idiot extraordinaire for saving your life." He smirked smugly, but then pulled a face at the weird sensation of de ja vu. "Wait, have we already had this conversation?"

Heero gave him a frown. "Are you recalling the conversation we had in the jeep?"

Duo thought hard but no memory came forward. "Uh, Maybe? I don't really remember that bit, I'm drawing a blank. I've no clue how I got from base to safe."

Heero's brow furrowed further and he looked off to the side, his eyes distant.

Duo's felt off kilter as he poked at one of the gauze pads which was squidgy with blood. It left a coating of red on his fingertips which he queasily wiped away on his pants. "So if I was shot, why am I not feeling it?"

"Magic," Gohan smiled mysteriously.

"Oh, OK," Duo accepted the reply easily enough. He had heard and seen stranger things. Green aliens and three eyed human warriors for example.

"Someone needs to start explaining." Wufei said testily with his eyes pointedly fixed on Duo.

Duo purposely averted his gaze and rubbed at the back of his neck uneasily.

He looked to Gohan. "Why are you here?"

Mirai chose to answer. "We're finally here to take you back home," he seemed so pleased to announce.

Duo's stomach dropped away.

He'd waited for this moment for years. So why didn't he feel any joy? All he could feel was disappointment.

"You've got lousy timing," He said with a weary sigh and dejected eyes. "I can't go back; not yet. I'm needed here, and I can't just abandon the war. If I leave now all I've fought for will be for nothing." He couldn't even look at Gohan because he didn't want to see the crushed expression that he knew would be on his face.

"War?" Mirai asked puzzled.

"Do you people live under a rock?" Wufei asked ludicrously.

Mirai didn't seem to appreciate Wufei's tone if the look he gave him was anything to go by. "So where do we go from here?" He asked Duo.

Duo heaved another deep sigh. "I honestly don't know." He glanced around the room at a loss. "Will you at least stay for the night?"

"Of course we will," Mirai agreed without hesitation. "We came prepared to stay for however long it might take to find you…though we did only pack for two, not four."

Duo had been purposely ignoring Gohan's slumping posture during the conversation but he paid attention when Gohan suddenly snapped upright and tense. "Er, Mirai, where are the Troublesome Two?"

Mirai glanced back through the open bedroom door. "Honestly? I've no idea. They were right behind me last time I looked."

Gohan slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned.

"Oh great, well I guess I should search for them before they destroy anything."

Ah yes, the two other ki signatures that Duo had sensed alongside Gohan and Mirai. "Who else came with you?" Duo asked curiously.

"Goten and Trunks." Gohan said wearily. "They stowed away with us in the Time Machine. I can guarantee that they are both in a _lot_ of trouble when they get home."

"Er, who?"

Gohan perked up and gave him an animated grin. "You wouldn't know them; they weren't born until after we lost you. Your family has expanded a bit since then. Goten and Trunks are your younger brothers."

Duo stared. "Really?"

"Bulma and Vegeta got together and Trunks was born six years ago; and Mom and Dad had Goten a year and a bit after that, so he's going to be five next month."

Duo was rendered silent for a moment but then whooped for joy. "I'm a big brother!"

Mirai smiled indulgently. "At the latest count you have two older brothers, two younger brothers, and a little sister."

"Woah…" Duo couldn't comprehend it all. So much had happened in the time he'd been gone.

There was a muffled crash from below, sounding from the kitchen that caused everyone to tense. Gohan scowled down at the floorboards. "Excuse me," He uttered and exited the room. His footsteps thumped down the stairs at a run.

"Krillen married and had a daughter," Mirai continued unfazed, "Her name is Marron. She's a sweet little thing. She's almost two now."

Duo grinned happily. He'd always known that Krillen would make a great Dad.

He mentally ticked her off the list of siblings that Mirai had counted. So that left…

"Wait." He frowned. "You said two older brothers. That's not right, there's just Gohan."

"Not quite true. Don't forget to include me." He smirked teasingly.

"Ha, good one," Duo chuckled. "Did you initiate yourself into the fold?"

"No, what I mean is that I am your brother by blood. 100% related."

Duo floundered for a moment, unsure if he was pulling his leg, yet he seemed entirely serious.

"How?" He asked bewildered.

A flare of ki from downstairs below their feet distracted the newly introduced brothers. A child's mocking laugh floated up the stairs and Gohan's shout for Mirai's immediate assistance followed shortly after.

"We'll discuss this after a brief interlude." Mirai said quickly, "I've got to help round up the brats. They're a handful at the best of times and a complete nightmare at their worst. We'll be back in just a moment."

There was an awkward silence where Duo shuffled on the spot, waiting for the verbal blow up that was sure to come.

Heero's eyes were narrowed dangerously at him and Duo could tell that he was furious. It didn't take a genius.

The messy brown-haired pilot strode across the carpet and stopped inches from Duo's face. Almost nose to nose.

"Enlighten us," Heero growled lowly, "Why should we allow four civilians to stay under this roof for the night? Especially two children."

Duo gazed back blankly, trying to keep up the façade that Heero wasn't managing to intimidate him, because honestly Heero was doing a really good job.

"They're my family and I'd rather they didn't sleep rough after coming all this way to see me. Besides, it's only for one night. After that, I swear they're gone."

Wufei suddenly advanced on Duo in a move that startled him. The Chinese pilot lashed out with an open palm that hit Duo in the shoulder, repelling him backwards and causing the back of Duo's knees to hit the side of his bed. The momentum forced him to sit down heavily.

"Fei!" Duo snapped in stunned surprise.

"Shut up." He retorted back, looking murderous. "You were fatally shot so why are you walking around as if nothing is out of the ordinary? Lay down, now."

"But I feel fine!" Duo protested as he tried to rise from the bed again.

Wufei pushed him back down unrelentingly. "Stay _down_!" He snarled.

Duo gave in without further resistance just to placate him. He lay down like a good boy.

And he was rewarded by Wufei ripping off the medical tape without warning, almost taking skin with it. "OW! Son of a-" He bit his tongue. "Try that again and I'll rip something of yours off!" He threatened through clenched teeth.

But Wufei didn't appear to be listening in the least.

He'd pulled away sharply as soon as the gauze had come away, his body stiff and eyes wide as he stared down in disbelief at Duo's chest.

The other pilots clustered closer to look as Wufei didn't explain his odd reaction.

Trowa and Quatre gaped silently whilst Heero's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"It's a miracle!" Quatre gasped in awe.

Already knowing that he would find nothing wrong with himself, Duo sat upright. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and glanced down at his unmarred chest which was still stained with itchy drying blood.

"Ha, what'd ya know," he ran his fingers over where the non existent bullet wound was, his fingers coming away with flakes of dried blood. "Completely healed. Good job too or else I'd be six foot under by now." He was honestly amazed but he'd had so many shocks to the system today that he couldn't dredge up the needed outward emotion that this situation demanded, and the result was a slightly bored drawl.

Wufei looked down at the gauze in his hand and his eyes widened just a fraction more. He carefully plucked out a lump of metal that was embedded in the bloodied gauze.

"Is that-?" Trowa hesitated to ask, his voice horse.

Heero reached over Wufei and ripped the other gauze pad off. Duo yelled crossly as he flinched away in pain from his tormentors. "Stop doin' that!"

Heero carelessly tossed away the soiled pad, his prize pinched between his thumb and forefinger. He scrutinised the spent slug he was holding and the one in Wufei's open palm. "Military issue."

"Could his body have naturally rejected and expelled them?" Quatre grasped for any plausible explanation.

"Not with how deep they were in his body," Trowa shot down. "And that doesn't explain how his wounds have healed in an instant with no discernible scar."

Duo held his hands up to regain some personal space. "Hey, hey! Back up a few steps, fellas. I know I've got a hot bod but a guy can only flash the flesh for so long before he gets uncomfortable being ogled." He waggled his eyebrows in jest but his comment was delivered with a serious request to give him some breathing room.

The pilots hesitated, questions clear on their faces, but they eventually complied.

"How is it possible that you've healed?" Wufei asked, his eyes dark and intense.

"Gohan said it; Magic. But really, I don't know how they did it. Its best not to question the miracles those guys can pull off. They are secrecy in a box of obscurity wrapped in mystery and things get crazy weird when they're involved."

Wufei's jaw worked, more questions trying to fight their way free, his expression drifting between anger and intrigue.

"So…" Quatre tried valiantly to start a diversion. "They were your family? I really didn't see a resemblance between you all, but I know that doesn't mean much in this day and age with test tube children."

"Except the smile," Wufei accepted. "The black haired one had your smile."

"Ah, actually I have Gohan's smile, I copied it off him when we were young." Duo admitted with a quick sliver of a nostalgic smile.

"Are you really an orphan?" Trowa accused. "Or was that a lie?"

"I am…but then again…eh…it's complicated." Duo tried to run a frustrated hand through his fringe but got his fingers knotted in the blood crusted strands. "Oh yuck. I need a shower, pronto."

"You are not making sense, Maxwell," Wufei said impatiently as he gathered the two blood soaked gauze pads and placed them in the bedroom bin which was already at risk of overflowing with more bloodied gauze and cotton pads.

There were small but rapid running footsteps on the stairs and everyone's heads snapped in the direction of the bedroom door as a small blur of orange, blue and black entered the room.

The little black haired boy froze under the aim of Heero's gun.

"Heero!" Quatre admonished.

"Don't shoot!" The boy's small hands shot straight up into the air with a comical flair.

"Bang!" He suddenly shouted with a smile and lurched dramatically with a hand to his heart as he collapsed flat on the carpet with a soft thud; but not a second later he jumped to his feet with a showy grin that revealed that he was missing a lower baby tooth.

"Ha! I'm not really hurt!" He made a sloppy gun shape with his fingers. "Bang! I got you!" He crowed at Heero who stood dumbfounded.

"Maxwell?" Wufei asked Duo unsurely.

Duo couldn't stop staring.

This had to be Goten. It couldn't be anyone but Goku's son. His resemblance to his father was uncanny. The same gravity defying black spikes, wide honest onyx eyes, the same wide smile and boundless energy.

Goten's smile dimmed slightly as he realised that no one was joining in with his play acting. "Hi, I'm Goten, nice to meet you!"

"Hello, Goten, it's a pleasure. My name is Quatre." The Arab teen smiled softly down at the young boy in greeting.

"Cater…Catre…" Goten giggled, "Ha, you have the word Cat in your name. Meow!"

"It's Quatre," The blond repeated with a patient smile. "Are you hiding from your brother?" He prompted.

"Nuh uh," Goten's hair swayed as he shook his head sharply. "I'm trying to find 'im."

"I think you're looking in the wrong place. Gohan is downstairs,"

Goten frowned cutely. "No silly, not that brother. I'm trying to find my big brother, Shin, he should be here. We came a loooong way, through space! It was so cool! But I was kinda scared," He pouted. "But don't tell Trunks that! He thinks I'm a baby and I'm not!"

Duo felt a tremor of emotion quake his insides at the utterance of his old name. Goten lost interest in Quatre and his gaze skimmed over the others.

His eyes stuck on Duo. He squinted and cocked his head to one side. "You look a bit like him. You have weird purple-y blue-y eyes and brown hair like in the picture Mummy has."

Duo smiled wanly. "And you look just like your Daddy."

"You knew Daddy?" Goten perked up. "Gohan and Mommy say I look just like him."

Past tense.

Something inside Duo detached and fell like a slab of concrete to land heavily in his gut, sucking the air from his lungs with the impact.

"Yeah," He croaked out with dread. "I knew him. Don't you live with him?"

Goten shuffled on the spot glumly. "No, Daddy died before I was born so I never met him."

Duo stood rooted to the spot, trembling as he fought back tears. It was stupid really. He hadn't known the man for long at all, but the bond they had made in that short time was something that Duo had held onto for all these years.

To have it so suddenly severed was soul-shattering.

"Duo?" Quatre asked hesitantly with a hand fisted to his heart.

Rage filled the void.

Why hadn't Goku come to get him sooner? They might have had more time together. Why hadn't Duo been there when he had died? _How_ had he died? Should he have felt something at the moment of death- like a resonating sadness, or a longing for something lost? But he couldn't recall a momentous surge of emotion that seemed out of place in his memory.

Duo hadn't had any reason to believe that he was waiting for a dead man to come and rescue him.

In a move fuelled by an intense surge of grief and rage, Duo swiped the lamp off his bedside table, savagely smashing it against the wall, shattering glass and plastic all over the floor. He sat down heavily on his bed and dropped his head into his hands, angrily gripping at his hair with clawed fingers. He focused on breathing steadily though clenched teeth as he stared with narrowed eyes at the floor.

"Are you OK?" Goten's timid voice asked.

Duo gaze flicked up, guiltily noting that Goten was half hidden behind Heero's legs, his body langue tense and unsure after Duo's random act of violence.

His anger drained away leaving him feeling tired and hollow. "Yeah, I'm OK." He replied softly. "Sorry about your Daddy. He was a good man."

"Everyone always says that," Goten nodded sagely. "He was a hero."

Duo smiled sadly. "Yeah," he agreed. "He was to me too."

"Duo-" Quatre started in a faintly pained voice but was interrupted by Gohan and Mirai as they re-entered the room. Mirai was carrying another small boy tucked under his arm. The boy was obviously protesting as he kicked and squirmed in Mirai's grasp, trying to free his pinned arms.

Gohan's gaze fixed on Duo as the braided boy raised his head further to look at his two older brothers mournfully, his hands dropping limply to hang between his legs. "What's wrong?" He asked Duo, his brow crinkling with concern.

Duo bowed his head again and muttered, "Goten told me about Dad."

Gohan stiffened slightly and a look of sadness flashed across his features but it quickly changed to understanding.

He walked over and sat at Duo's side, throwing an arm around his shoulders and drawing him closer.

"Dad died almost six years ago," Gohan explained in a low voice. "He gave his life to save the world."

Duo glanced sideways at Gohan and gave a weak smile. "Should I have expected anything else?"

"He might be dead, but he's not gone from our lives. He gave us Goten as a surprise parting gift." Gohan held out a beckoning hand and Goten sprung forwards at the invitation to climb into Gohan's lap, a pleased smile on his lips. He snuggled into Gohan arms and peered up at Duo with continued curiously. "You've always got the rest of your family and we'll go to any lengths for you. Through Time and beyond even."

Duo sniggered. "That sounds so corny, but thanks anyway." Duo bumped his shoulder against Gohan's and let his lips curve into a content smile.

"Are you my brother?" Goten asked.

"I am."

"But Cat-man called you Duo." The five year old argued. It took a second to decode Cat-man as Quatre.

"I've had a few names. I like the one I've got now so I'm keeping it."

"Put me down!" a new voice ordered irritably. It was the boy tucked under Mirai's arm.

Mirai jumped having completely forgotten that he was still holding the boy and sheepishly lowered him onto his feet.

He imperiously straightened the twisted front of his forest green gi and then inspected the people in the room around him.

His eyes rested on Duo and showed recognition.

"It's you!" He pointed. "I saw you in a picture at home. Mom says that you're my older brother, and Goten's too. And you stole my name!"

Duo chuckled lightly. "Definitely Vegeta's son." he said to Gohan, who laughed, before he focused his full attention on the boy.

"I take it that you're Trunks, yeah? Well you can have your name back because I've got my own now. It's Duo."

"Duo? What type of name is that?" Trunks scoffed.

"What type of name is Trunks?" Duo shot back grinning.

"It's better than yours!"

"If you want to believe that then go ahead."

"I'm with the chibi here, Trunks is a good name," Mirai agreed strongly with Trunks. He sounded almost affronted.

"You would say that," Gohan smiled knowingly at Mirai.

Duo inspected Trunks closely, noticing the lilac hair that was cut so it just about fell into his eyes, which were an icy blue.

Duo's gaze flicked back and forth between Mirai and Trunks.

"Are you two related? Because you're so similar it's eerie."

"Er, sort of. We have the same blood." Mirai smiled secretly.

"What he means is that we have exactly the same blood since we're the same person," Trunks huffed and rolled his eyes. "He's me from the future."

Duo's jaw dropped comically.

"Oh man! So your name is Trunks too?" He directed at Mirai.

Mirai nodded. "Yeah, that why I never called you 'Trunks' when I first met you. It felt awkward; as if you had stolen my identity and replaced me. I wasn't born in your Time yet so I couldn't say anything until I was; unless I wanted to risk changing the Time stream any more than I already had and end up not existing."

"So that's why you're my older brother," Duo concluded. "That is so awesome."

"'Time stream'?" Trowa directly quoted with an eyebrow raised in interest. "'From the future?'"

"They don't know, do they." Gohan stated to Duo who was cringing.

"Nope."

There was no way that he was going to be able to keep it a secret anymore. Gohan's and Mirai's tongues were too loose on the topic, but he supposed that Time travel was everyday conversation to them and that they weren't used to censoring what they had to say.

Duo turned his eyes to the four pilots and licked his lips nervously before taking the plunge. "Would you believe me if I told you that I'm originally from the distant past and that I used a Time Machine to travel to the future, which is now the present that we are currently in?"

"No chance, Maxwell." Wufei snorted in reply. "What game are you trying to play?"

Duo shot Mirai a peeved look, annoyed that he'd started this ball rolling.

The elder man shrugged back, looking honestly contrite.

"You're serious." Trowa said gazing intensely at the Deathsythe pilot.

"Never been more so," Duo said without a trace of a smile in an attempt to seem sincere.

"You don't expect us to believe this tale do you?" Wufei asked doubtfully.

"No, I don't expect anything from you." Duo could hear how crazy he sounded.

"Wufei speaks for himself. I'm listening," Trowa offered, momentarily throwing Duo for a loop.

He didn't even know where to start. He had fought to keep his past buried and had never repeated a word of it to anyone before, not even Solo. He didn't know if he could re-tell everything in its entirety. Besides, the past was the past and there were parts that he didn't want to remember, never mind verbalise.

"Duo," Gohan nudged his knee to hasten his decision.

"Fine. But first I think we should introduce ourselves properly. S'only polite."

"That's a good suggestion," Quatre agreed. "My name is Quatre Raberba Winner." He gestured for the turn to pass to the next person.

"Trowa Barton,"

"I am Chang Wufei."

"Yuy."

"Heero Yuy." Duo corrected. "Be nice Heero, we can trust them with our names."

Heero frowned in disapproval.

"I've already introduced myself but I'll say it again for everyone's benefit. My name is Gohan Son. My little brother here is Goten Son. Nice to meet you all. Even if you did try to shoot me." The last part was said in good humour.

Heero remained unfazed by the remark but Duo turned his head to glare sternly at the Wing pilot, guessing that he was the one to shoot at his brother.

"Hey, I'm Mirai Trunks Briefs," Mirai gave a friendly two finger salute at his temple. "But I'm just known as Mirai. My chibi self is just Trunks."

"I am not a chibi! Stop calling me that!" Trunks protested hotly.

"And I'm Duo Maxwell," Duo introduced. "Formerly known as either Shin Son or Trunks Son by family." He wavered with nervousness. "I don't feel like doin' this tonight. Can we wait till morning?"

"No." Heero intoned with no room for indecision.

Duo's jaw tightened in a quick flush of anger at the Wing pilot. "My past is personal." He resorted to digging his heels in firmly like a stubborn mule. He didn't want his wretched history to skew the pilots' opinions of him. He was bound to be viewed as certifiably insane.

"Your past is standing in the room with us, so I think that it's imperative that we know the basics." Trowa stated quite frankly.

Duo's temper cooled in the face of that logic. He couldn't leave them with a sleepless night of questions. He had to conclude this; he owed them that at least for the situation they were all in now.

"Fine. My story starts when I'm seven, in the year 764 AD when I'm happily living with my family." He ignored his comrades' confused frowns and shocked faces, and he doubly ignored the sharp looks he got from Gohan and Mirai as they silently questioned as to why he had skipped an important section of his life story.

Duo was not willing to tell the other pilots about the circumstances of his birth. As long as no one asked any questions then his secret would remain untold.

"Mirai," he gestured at the lilac-haired adult. "Appears in a Time machine from the future to warn a few select people in the past that evil androids will take over the world and slowly kill the entire population, unless someone destroys them. Sort of like in the film Terminator, but not quite."

He turned his focus to Mirai, his curiously a welcome distraction. "Did that all work out? You're still alive so it's good news I take it?"

"We had a lot more trouble than anticipated," Mirai replied honestly. "We lost a fair few people but it still turned out well in the end for the most part."

Duo quirked a smile for the victory. "Wish I'd been there to see you kick ass."

Gohan shifted uneasily. "Actually, it was for the best that you weren't there. 16, 17 and 18 came looking for you the minute they were released, and at that point we wouldn't have been strong enough to protect you."

Duo felt the blood drain from his face as he shot a panicked look to his brother. "Please tell me that you destroyed them."

Gohan hesitated strangely but he must have read the growing skittishness in Duo's body language because he quickly reassured, "You're safe now."

Duo slumped in relief. He remembered Gero's vow to sic the androids on him if he ever tried to run, and the threat had hung over his head his entire life. Different scenarios of the moment they might catch up to him had played out in his nightmares.

"Gero?" He had to ask.

"Dead." Mirai answered coldly but with satisfaction.

Duo felt the ghostly chains on his soul release and he lifted free. "Thank fuck for that," He breathed out under his breath.

Goten slapped his hands over his own ears. "Bad word!" He squawked in horror. "Mum has to wash your mouth out with soap now!"

"Sorry," Duo mumbled apologetically, but the smile on his face ruined the sincerity somewhat.

"Who is Gero?" Heero asked.

"The creator of the androids." Mirai supplied in a dark tone. "He was an insane genius that took offence against the world and decided that he wanted to see it burn along with his enemies."

Heero's gaze pinned Duo. "And how was he in acquaintance with you?"

Duo's eyed him suspiciously. "What makes you think that I knew him?"

"I fail to see how you could have nightmares about him if you never knew him," was the dry reply.

Duo's furious eyes swung to Quatre. "You had no right-!"

"No!" Quatre cut across indignantly. "He found out about Gero through his own methods. Apparently you're quite vocal during your nightmares."

Duo simmered at Heero, but he had to concede that he could have said anything in his sleep without knowing.

To defer the question about Gero that Heero had posed, he continued with this recollection of his past. "While Mirai was staying with the family, Gohan and I decided to play hide and seek. I chose to hide in my Mother's laboratory, using Mirai's Time Machine as my hiding place."

Quatre opened his mouth to most probably ask why there was a laboratory in his house, but Duo cut him off with a quick, "She's a scientist and mechanic." Quatre seemed appeased by the explanation.

"I got trapped inside, panicked, hit a few wrong buttons and launched myself into the time stream. Next thing I know its 187 AC, meaning I'm roughly 2000 years in the future on the L-2 Colony in the middle of Space! I'd never left Japan, never mind Earth!"

"Wait. You're of Japanese origin?" Wufei asked in surprise.

Duo tilted his head unsurely. "Well I guess I am. I'm not really sure to be honest. I know I've got Japanese blood in me, but I don't look Japanese. I'm a weird mix of a few races. I dubbed myself American because L-2 is an American colony and I hung around with a bunch of American kids for a few years. I managed to pick up a few habits and an accent. I speak a load of languages, but Japanese, and English with an American accent, are my specialities. And yes Heero, every time you cursed me under your breath in Japanese I understood every word of it, thank-you-very-much. I just pretended to be oblivious for the fun of it." Duo grinned smarmily at him.

Heero's brow slammed down into an incensed scowl. "_Omae o korosu_"

"Now how did I guess that you'd say that?" Duo rolled his eyes.

All of the pilots knew Heero's well-known phrase of 'I'll kill you' even though they knew little to no Japanese. They might have known all of the languages of the human race between them but the pilots always stuck to the main language of English. It was the most common tongue on Earth and the Colonies so it was the easiest way to get your words across.

"Actually, you are part American," Mirai seemed almost reluctant to reveal. "I managed to recover a few of Dr. Gero's files on you. Your unknown mother was Doctor Hannah Williams. She was a famous medical scientist and her genius rivalled our mother's. She worked for a short while with Dr. Gero on human anatomy many years before you were born. He must have saved her DNA somehow because there is definitely a resemblance between the two of you. You inherited her chestnut coloured hair and face shape. She was never married to anything but her work."

"She's dead, isn't she," Duo said a no-nonsense tone. "You're talking about her in past tense."

"Yes," Mirai admitted. "There was a lab accident two years before you were born…a contagion outbreak."

Duo wasn't that saddened to hear of her death. Sure, it was an unfortunate death for her but it wasn't so emotionally painful for him because he hadn't ever known her.

It was a plausible theory that Gero had chosen to give him her hair and face genes just so he didn't look like the obvious offspring of one of his other gene parents. If he had looked too much like a miniature clone of Goku (like Goten did), it would have been a lot harder to infiltrate the Son household without drawing heaps of suspicion.

Did that mean that his entire appearance had been put together like a carefully constructed jigsaw puzzle? Like Frankenstein's monster.

It was a demoralizing thought but it was one that he had already considered in the past because he hadn't known anyone in his family with his hair colour and had pondered over it.

"…Anyway, I tried to get back to my time but couldn't work the machine. I kept it safe for about a month before the Time Machine was destroyed." He gave an apologetic glance in the adult's direction. "Sorry 'bout that Mirai."

"Don't worry about it Duo, at least you're safe, that's all that matters. Besides, I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

"Er… Yeah." Duo pulled an 'I-didn't-do-it-you-can't-blame-me' face. He wasn't going to mention the fact that he'd dismantled it and shopped the machine parts for food and supplies after deciding that he wasn't going to get home in it.

"And then what? How did you get from that moment to here?" Gohan asked with intense curiosity. "I know that you lived on the streets. How did you survive?"

"What?" Mirai squawked in disbelief even as Duo swept a peeved glare over his comrades, trying to pin the one to blame for blabbing.

He singled out Heero. Of course it was him.

"So?" Gohan pressed.

Duo sent a more discrete look at the other pilots. Did he really want them to know about his life on L-2?

The answer was a firm no.

Some things he'd experienced were meant to be kept close to the heart. It was going to be hard enough to spill his guts to his family, never mind the guys he rarely worked with.

He made a split decision, harassed by the expectant look on everyone's faces.

"So," He began unevenly, absolutely sure that he was making a grave mistake but committing himself to it anyway. "I was left stranded on the back streets of L-2 with no food, shelter or money. I was completely clueless about how to survive on a space colony and I was just a scared little kid in a rough part of the neighbourhood. I wouldn't have lived longer than a day by myself but right off the bat I met Solo, an older streetwise kid who had lived on the streets his whole life. He treated me like his kid brother, and I learnt to trust him with my life. He gave me confidence in myself and taught me the ropes on how to survive L-2. I made a new family 'cause Solo ran a small gang of homeless kids who were just trying to get by. It wasn't an easy life, but considering the circumstances I was happy."

Duo's fond smile faded and he sobered dramatically as the graphic dark memories of Ace wasting away to nothing and Jimmy coughing blood till he choked to death came to the forefront.

"Everything ran smoothly for two whole years, but then the plague that was sweeping through L-2 like wildfire finally hit us. We lost two of the gang within the first week, so when Solo contracted the virus I was determined to save his life at any cost. There was a cure available against the epidemic," He paused to sneer contemptuously. "But it was only granted to the people who had the money to pay for it. No one on the streets had that kind of cash so it was out of reach. I couldn't steal enough in such a short amount of time to pay for even a single damn dose, so I felt desperate enough to break into the nearest military base hospital where I stole the medicine instead. I gave it to the other sick kids' and it saved their lives, but I couldn't save the one most important to me. Solo didn't make it. But I made damn sure that he didn't die alone. It was the least I could do after everything he'd done for me."

Duo took in a shuddering breath. "I never caught the plague even though I never took the inoculation. I can only guess that it's because of my freakishly strong immune system," he said dolefully as he glanced sideways at Gohan, then to Mirai. They both nodded in understanding, coming to the same conclusion that Duo had made all those years ago.

His Saiyan blood had kept him alive and healthy.

"I couldn't mourn forever though; I had to take care of the remaining street kids. I became the replacement leader of the gang and they relied on me to stay alive. Up until that moment I was just known as Shin on the streets, or Kid to Solo, but to make sure I never forgot him, I changed my name to Duo in his honour. Solo and Duo, soul brothers."

He sighed.

"But I wasn't leader material. I tried to be just like Solo and I got too cocky for my own good, and everyone else's as it turned out. A month after the plague had just about run its course, things were still rough. The colony was trying to recover and food and supplies were scarce.

I planned a food heist from the same Federation base that I'd stolen the medicine from. I thought it would be a cake-walk so I drafted the gang in to help me carry out as much as we could get away with. It was meant to be an in and out job, but it went wrong from the get-go. They had increased their security after the last time _someone _had broken in and stolen their medical supplies a month before. Once they found us they didn't hesitate to open fire. I think their logic was that we were just homeless kids so who would miss us if we died, right? I lost two more of my family. They trusted me to look out for them, but I let them down by getting them killed."

Skip had gone down in the first hail of bullets because he was closest to the soldiers and the easiest target. Tommy fell next as he took two shots to the back, mid turn to run. His little brother, Scrapper, still no older than six, stumbled to the concrete floor next to him, their fingers still linked together. Tommy didn't rise again no matter how much Scrapper screamed for him to get up. He didn't let go of his brother's limp hand until Duo ripped him free as he passed at a run and forced him to run with him. Unlike Ace, Jimmy and Solo; Skip and Tommy's bodies were never recovered to be buried. The Federation disposed of them as they saw fit.

"The Federation contacted the local Police about us breaking and entering so they tracked the rest of us down and demolished the place we called home to flush us out before shipping us off to an orphanage. The Maxwell Church Orphanage."

Heero shifted slightly on the spot, but the Wing pilot's face gave nothing away.

"They gave me shelter, food and a better life altogether. The down side was that I had to wear clothes that I didn't want to, I wasn't allowed to steal anymore, and I was forced to go to school. Even worse, the school was run by the Federation army where they were trying to brainwash kids with Federation propaganda. It didn't work on me though. I never fit in there. Sure I had the best grades around, but I was the opposite of a model student. I was in more fights than anyone could count. I was a rebel, through and through.

Two out of the three of my gang were adopted out over a short period of time, but no one wanted me or the other kid. Everyone knew me as the untameable wild child, and the other kid was mute."

Bolt and Jo went to good homes; Duo had made sure of it. But there was nothing he could do for Scrapper. The kid hadn't spoken a word since the death of his older brother and he never left Duo's side if he could help it. It was as if he'd chosen Duo as his replacement brother and he threw a fit if anyone tried to adopt him without taking Duo as well.

"I liked it at the church despite all the bad stuff that came with it, so whenever someone tried to adopt me I'd give them hell and I'd be sent back within one or two days tops. I grew attached to the owners of the orphanage, Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. I adopted them as my guardians and all of the other orphans became my older or younger brothers and sisters. It was Sister Helen who came up with the idea to braid my messy long hair because I didn't want to cut it off since it was the only consistent thing in my life."

Duo drew his braid over his shoulder and played with the tip fondly.

"Two more years passed and I was happy again, but war tore our colony apart and it even affected the Church. The Federation was oppressing all of the colonies just so the military organisation could rule over everyone, so some of the L-2 colonists chose to rebel against them. Being the kind man that he was, Father Maxwell couldn't turn them away when they asked to use the church as a makeshift rebel hospital. The rebels took advantage of the hospitality and ended up taking over the church and turning it into a main base camp.

When Father Maxwell suggested to them that they shouldn't fight and instead solve everything peacefully, the rebels lashed out at him, and then Sister Helen when she tried to intervene, accusing them of being spies for the Federation. I stepped forwards before things could get messy and offered to steal what they wanted, a Mobile Suit, to show that we were on their side. I was really hoping that it would keep my family safe and make the rebels back off."

Duo noticed the baffled expressions on all of his brothers' faces at the name 'Mobile Suit' so he quickly elaborated. "Mobile Suits are huge machines, like robots, that you control manually from inside the cockpit. You use them to fight."

"Coooool…" Trunks expressed in honest interest. Until just now he'd looked quite bored. His young age meant that he couldn't grasp the emotional depth of Duo's tale. To him it may as well have been a bedtime story.

Duo suppressed a shiver and fought back the terrifying image of Trunks in control of such a destructive weapon.

"I managed to break into the same Federation base that me and the gang raided before. I knew my way 'round the place so that part was easy. The tough part was dodging the hail of bullets being fired at me by the Federation soldiers. Luckily I managed to nick a transport truck that had a suit in it and I drove it the best I could back to the church…but when I finally got there…"

Duo's eyes glazed over as he relived the horrific memories in his mind and stumbled over his own words.

"…The church was in ruins, collapsed in on itself and on fire. There were bodies everywhere and-"

Duo fisted his hands so tightly into his bed sheets that his knuckles turned white and his arm muscles trembled slightly with the tension.

The images assaulted him mercilessly making him close his eyes shut in misery.

To all outward appearances he managed to look fairly calm, but on the inside he was on the verge of hyperventilating. He wasn't sure if the strong stench of blood was all in his head or if he was smelling his own stale blood in reality. He knew for certain that the smell of burning flesh was fabricated from memory.

He jumped in shock as he felt small arms encircle his chest. Duo's glanced down in time to see Goten transfer himself from Gohan's lap to Duo's, snuggling close in a comforting hug.

Duo's heart expanded with affection and it gave him the courage to continue.

"I found some of the orphan kids' bodies with Father Maxwell lying next to them. It looked as if he'd died trying to protect them, but they'd all been gunned down. I- I found Sister Helen because she called out to me. She was barely alive and fading fast. She said something about the Federation arriving, and stuff about Father Maxwell preaching peace till the end, then she died.

In memory of another lost family, I gave myself the adopted surname Maxwell on the spot and then ran as far away from the church as possible."

Actually, he'd mourned two lost families that day. He'd lost Scrapper, the last of his old family overlapping into his new family. He'd sworn to look out for him just as Tommy had but Duo had failed spectacularly once again to fulfil an important promise to himself, at the price of Scrapper's life.

"I didn't have anyone left after that. It was recorded that there weren't any survivors in the massacre known as the-"

"Maxwell Church Tragedy. Estimated 245 killed. " Heero finished matter of fact.

"How'd you know? They didn't broadcast it." Duo asked cautiously. Heero had been very knowledgeable about Duo's closely held secrets so far today. Had he blabbed about this in his sleep as well?

"Word of mouth." Was the stiff reply. He didn't expand on it.

Duo tore his eyes away from Heero to search out his older brothers' faces.

Gohan gazed back at him helplessly with self-blame in his eyes, as if he thought that it was his entire fault for not being around to protect his brother from the cruelty of the world. Duo didn't blame him at all, it was no one's fault but his own that things had gone the way they did.

Mirai stared at him with hard eyes. The eyes of a learnt survivor. The unforgiving look of someone who had seen death in huge doses and knew exactly what Duo had been through. No soft comforting words could bring back the dead and Mirai knew that so he just gave Duo a look full of empathy, his mouth in a tight grimace.

Duo couldn't even look at the other pilots.

He instead glanced down at the tiny boy in his lap and gave a fond smile as he saw that he was sound asleep, snoring softly and curled slightly into Duo's stomach.

Looking to Trunks he saw that the lilac haired half Saiyan was starting to drift off as well, sitting on the bedroom floor, half slumped against Mirai's leg, blinking up at Duo slowly with glazed eyes.

"Hm, I don't know if I should be offended or not," He said to Gohan lightly, gesturing at his two tired brothers. "Am I boring to listen to or something?"

Gohan smiled softly, almost painfully as he tried to push away his heartache for Duo. "No, they're just exhausted. They've had a long and exciting day, plus its way past their normal bedtime. Do you want me to hold Goten?" Gohan asked.

"Nah thanks, he's fine where he is. Besides, this is the first time I've ever held him. I completely skipped his baby years, but better later than never, right?"

"He's been waiting to meet you. The few epic childhood misadventures that we had have been the source of his bedtime stories for years."

"I bet he's disappointed with the real me." Duo gave a weak smile down at Goten, laced with sadness. "Nothing ever lives up to the hype."

A weighty silence followed as no one had anything to say. Duo broke it to continue his recollections, his tone low and gloomy.

"So I'm eleven, back on the streets alone after leaving the church behind. I went through a dark patch with my thoughts circling around revenge for the deaths of everyone I cared about. My sanity had a few holes in it; holes that you could fly a shuttle through with wing room to spare.

Sister Helen had mentioned the Federation but I found out on the streets that it was the OZ Special Forces' fault. They had raided the church and then obliterated it just so they could stop the rebellion in one easy swoop. I'd always had reason to hate them but that was the first time my eyes were opened to the truth behind the so-called 'Peace Keeping Organisation'. They just used military force to accomplish their _noble_ cause." Duo spat. "So I came up with a plan to bring the nearest Federation base down from the inside. I snuck inside, easy as pie, for the fourth and final time and planted bombs. Home-made; I did my research.

I got out and watched from a distance as I detonated. I turned that base into a fireball.

But I didn't feel any better and it didn't bring my family back. And with the need for revenge gone, I just felt sorta hollow. I didn't really know what to do with myself.

I stood in the same spot for hours straight staring at the fire and chaos as the fire crews tried to put it out and rescue services pulled survivors and non-survivors out of the rubble. Evacuating soldiers came across me and I must have looked suspicious because they searched me and found the detonator.

I was, not-so-gently, handed over to another Federation base and thrown in prison. While in there I had time to re-evaluate my life, or what I thought I had left of it. That was a bit of a turning point for me."

A devilish smile tugged at his mouth.

"Jail is mostly shitty but I still had some fun times. At first they tried to interrogate me thinking I was a rebel or mercenary, but they found out the hard way that I'm not an easy person to handle. They asked me to talk…so I did. I talked about everything from my favourite colour to the weather. Ha, it drove them nuts and I loved every moment of it!" He chuckled wickedly.

"I almost feel sorry for the Federation," Trowa's eyes crinkled slightly in humour.

"Only you, Maxwell," Wufei sighed with a suffering edge, and yet he looked satisfied with Duo's creative defiance.

"How did you get out of jail?" Quatre asked in anticipation. "Did they let you go, or did you escape?"

"Heh, neither, though the records say that I escaped. I think it was two months after I was first captured, but I'm not too sure because there weren't any windows and no clocks so time blurred a bit – but, whatever, it doesn't really matter anyway because it was an average day. I was cuffed to a metal chair in the interrogation room being questioned for the millionth time after a week of sleep deprivation treatment. But this time I sorta went a bit too far with my habit of being an ornery little shit, finally causing my interrogator's short fuse to blow. In an attempt to shut me up the guy pulled his handgun on me and shot me twice at point-blank range in the gut."

Duo shrugged half-heartedly. "I'm still not sure how I survived that one. I just remember the sound of the gunshots, then the delayed pain hit, and then I was waking up in a medical bed. The chart on the end of my bed said I'd been in an induced coma for four days. I'd been operated on to remove the bullets and patched back up again, but I couldn't feel much of it cause of the ridiculous amount of morphine they had me on. I couldn't think straight but I knew that I had to run, so I did. I was in a civilian hospital which I thought was a bit weird at the time because the base had its own hospital, but I didn't question my luck and hightailed it out of there.

But just last year I finally got curious and I hacked into the medical files of the hospital and looked up the police report. Turns out that I was found alone and bleedin' out on the side of a road. Can you believe that? That bastard must have dumped my body and claimed that I'd escaped just so he didn't get court-martialled for my murder.

And it almost was murder. I was so close to dead when I was taken into intensive care that my doctors wrote me off as a goner as soon as they looked at me, but I proved 'em wrong and I survived against all odds." He thumbed his nose proudly. "I'm pretty good a doing that."

"We saw the scars." Wufei admitted. "You healed well."

Duo nodded. "I always do. It's in my genes."

Quatre looked troubled. "It must have been terrible for you after the morphine wore off. It's a miracle you survived infection after leaving the hospital."

"Yeah, it was tough to keep moving but I managed. I found food and shelter and planned my next move while I let my body heal.

It wasn't safe on L-2 anymore and I didn't have anything left to tie me to the colony, so I stowed away on a Sweeper salvaging ship that was heading for deep space.

To survive I stole food from their storage and managed to keep hidden. Their security system was the best that I'd ever seen but I still got past it with a bit of brains and patience. But this one time I made a stupid mistake that got me caught in the process of stealing." He grimaced at the memory of being dragged, kicking and swearing, out of the storage hold by three burly members of the sweeper crew.

"That's when I met Professor G. He was working on a project with the Sweepers and happened to be on the ship at the time. G has the weirdest hair imaginable, it looks like he's got a gray umbrella on his head, and his nose is huuuuge! He could take an eye out with that thing.

He was the one who had built the security system and was majorly impressed that I had managed to get past his 'flawless' system.

He gave me the choice to either become his protégé or to be jettisoned into space without a suit. It's obvious which one I chose.

G's a tough teacher but I coped. He taught me everything I now know about computers and electronics; including making them, disabling them, and hacking them. I think he wanted me to originally become an infiltrator or something along those lines because he refined my skills in how to blend in and how to be misleading without lying.

For a period of time he placed me under the wing of the Sweeper engineers. I was just doin' little jobs at first, like getting' coffee, carrying stuff to and fro, that sort of thing. But I watched them work and they taught me how to do everything they did.

In my spare time I practiced wiring, which the mechanics showed me, and system programming, which G taught me. It caught the eye of G, so he monitored me, and after a while, he announced that my training was over, but his plans for me had changed.

From then on I was placed on the mechanical team and they let me in on a secret project that Professor G had them working on. Project 'Gundam'."

Duo smiled at his fellow pilots and then explained for the sake of his brothers what a Gundam was.

"A Gundam is basically just a Mobile Suit but its technology is _waaaaaay_ more advanced, with better weapons, power, speed and cool things like that. They're made of Gundanium metal which is very tough, and really hard to make so it's limited stuff. Only six Gundams have ever been built so far. Five of them are owned by us pilots." He gestured with a sweeping arm to his friends.

"I worked for a year on the nameless Gundam. I was a valued member of the team; my age didn't matter most of the time. Sometimes it helped because my small hands could get into places that theirs couldn't. I worked hard to piece that Gundam together, but I had strict boundaries with what I could add thanks to G, the old coot. I could have made it so much better in some places if he'd been a bit more adventurous. The only thing G let me change in the plans was the propulsion systems which improved the Gundam's speed by 12%, and the main thermo weapon. It was originally meant to be an axe, but I didn't like that idea so I designed the scythe instead. My version was more powerful and streamlined, and it allowed the thermo energy to work under water, something that's not been possible before."

He looked proudly up at his friends who in turn looked dumbfounded.

"Are you trying to tell us," Wufei stared at him absurdly, "that you actually contain brain power on par with the scientists?"

"Yes." Duo frowned mulishly, disappointed by their disbelief. "There's a lot that you don't know about me. I was good enough to become a Gundam pilot wasn't I? You can't be a dumb pilot or you end up a dead pilot."

"You were at deaths door not long ago, were you not?" Wufei asked archly. "so what does make you?"

It was Wufei's version of a joke, Duo knew that, but it didn't stop his flush of anger because it hit home to the truth. He had been extremely dumb today. He'd risked his life to save Heero when he'd always been about being smart and a survivalist, but today he'd abandoned it all in one moment.

"You can never see past outward appearances, Fei." He said sneeringly. "Everything is just black or white to you. Well I'm the darker shade of grey in between."

Wufei stilled in surprise but a heartbeat later his eyes smouldered with anger, yet he remained silent and didn't take the bait for the verbal fight that Duo was gearing for.

Duo took a breath to calm himself down, knowing that he was being irrational. He wasn't going to apologise to Wufei though because what he's said to him was true. It needed to be said. Duo only regretted the tone he'd used.

"Anyway, after the scythe was installed I dubbed the Gundam 'Deathsythe'. Then G tried to find a willing test pilot, but most people couldn't handle the intense G-forces in the cockpit and they couldn't grasp the complex system. The Prof. practically gave up after a few months, thinking that the Gundam was beyond human use.

But one night after I'd finished installing the update to the propulsion system I thought I should test it out, so I took Deathsythe out on an unauthorised flight into space and had a go at doing a few complex manoeuvres.

Little did I know that I was being watched.

I docked once I'd had some fun, but the moment I was out of Deathsythe, G was practically standing on my toes, demanding that I should become his new pilot. He said he would train me to fight against the Federation."

He smiled darkly.

"That was an offer I couldn't refuse.

Plus who knows the Gundam's systems and controls better than the person who put it all together?

I accepted and I threw myself into training again.

I easily passed the stealth, resistance to interrogation, explosives and the survival courses. I had already had a lot of experience in those areas.

Learning different fighting techniques came naturally to me and offensive weapons, like knives, became my speciality. Learning how to shoot was tough since I'd never held a gun before then so it was awkward but I picked it up after a while and found out that I was a crack shot.

G always said that I would have been perfect in every way if I wasn't so stubborn and spontaneous and if I actually listened to the orders I was given."

Duo started to count a list on his fingers. "I could absorb all the information around me with just a glance. I had an uncanny ability to sense the hidden enemy." He smirked at Gohan, and Gohan smirked back knowing that he meant his ki sensing skills. "I knew Deathsythe inside and out and could fix any mechanical or electrical problems that cropped up. I was a good fighter, in and out of the cockpit. And my life didn't hold much value."

He held his hands up to stop Gohan's oncoming protest. "Don't get me wrong, I _really_ like being alive but it's not as if I had any close friends or family that would miss me. I was, and still am prepared to die in this war. You showing up doesn't change that."

Gohan's mouth thinned unhappily but he didn't argue further.

Duo continued. "G was an oddball. He encouraged me to act on my gut instinct and my emotions. He knew that he couldn't take my past from me and those experiences influenced my actions and motivation, so he basically let me run loose and only tried occasionally to nudge me in the direction he wanted.

He never seemed to know if he wanted to praise me or strangle me on the spot because I infuriated him so much, but we tolerated each other pretty well considering. Some days I hated him for how hard he'd push me, mentally and physically, but I never left because I knew that he was doing it for a reason and it would all be worth it in the end.

But after one and a half years of training I found out the true purpose of it all. I was supposed to carry out Operation Meteor, which I discovered was nothing more than a plan to drop a space colony on Earth to create a climatic catastrophe and global chaos. Then I would be sent in with my Gundam to help some stupid power hungry pompous jerks seize control of the planet, so the space colonists would become the rulers of the human race.

"I don't like being used." Duo said narrowing his eyes. "Especially for genocide. So I rebelled.

I planned to blow up Deathsythe, shoot G, and finally kill myself, taking the Sweepers ship out at the same time in one last big bang. It was too dangerous for any of us to be captured and used, so self-destruction was the only logical option I could think of.

My master plan didn't work though. I tried to detonate Deathsythe, but G, the sneaky old man, knew what I was going to do, properly before even I knew what I was going to do, and he had disabled my detonator mechanism, so there wasn't even a small explosion. To say I was disappointed was an understatement.

But then G approached me and offered me a better deal. He suggested that I should steal Deathsythe and fight the Federation on Earth of my own free will. Operation Meteor wouldn't happen if I weren't there to carry it out.

So I took Deathsythe and went to Earth as 'Shinigami', the God of Death.

G sent me to a guy called Howard in the Pacific Ocean on an ocean Sweepers ship.

Howie is a great guy. His dress sense is something to be desired, but he's like a favourite uncle to me. He helped me get started with targets I could destroy.

That's when I first met Heero on the coast. We got off on the wrong foot though since he was about to shoot an innocent civilian girl and we both thought that we were on opposite sides…so I happened to shoot him." Duo flashed Heero a perfectly innocent smile. "But we're best of buds now, aren't we pal?"

"Hn," Heero grunted in response.

"That means 'yes' in Heero speak." Duo translated. "I met the other Gundam Pilots in stages and then we just kept colliding into each other. It was a bit of a mess at first just deciding who was a good guy and who was a bad guy but it all ironed out after a few bumps. Nowadays we sometimes come together to work as a sort of team. Personally, I think we work better together than apart on the battlefield, but living together in one house is a whole new challenge that we're just getting the hang of. I'm a bit surprised that there hasn't been a death yet. The bet is probably on me."

He grinned roguishly at the other pilots in challenge. "I've never tried to survive a bullet to the brain before but I could give it a go. I think my chances are good."

"I wouldn't tempt us," Quatre teased right back.

There was an easy silence for a long moment where everyone seemed to take stock of their thoughts and impressions after Duo's rehash of his life.

Duo suddenly felt emotionally and physically tired and said as much. "I'm in desperate need of some shut eye'cause I'm wiped out."

At his side, Gohan yawned heavily in agreement.

Duo gaze flickered over Heero's blood soaked sheets and mattress guiltily.

"Heero, you can have my bed tonight since I messed yours up. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Don't bother, I'll take the couch." Heero replied getting up off the chair and walking out of the room without another word.

It was a rather abrupt departure even for Heero.

"Okaaaay then." He let his frown linger on the empty doorway for a second and then he turned to Gohan. "Er, I'm not sure where you guy's can sleep for the night. One of you can have my bed if you want it."

"My bed is free also," Quatre spoke up. "Please feel welcome to it."

"Thanks for the offer, but we have camping gear with us. We came prepared since we didn't know what to expect in the Future." Mirai said.

"Where is your equipment?" Trowa asked.

"Right here," Mirai replied, reaching into his gi pocket and pulling out a small capsule.

"Oh, I'd forgotten about those!" Duo smiled and leant forwards in interest, careful not to jostle Goten awake as he did so. "It's really strange but capsules faded completely from history. They don't exist in this Time and I can't find any history records mentioning them."

Mirai frowned. "Well that's not good news for the family business."

"What is it?" Wufei asked suspiciously, glaring at the capsule in Mirai's hand.

"I'll show you," Mirai said cheerfully. "Duo, can I set up camp in here for tonight?"

"Sure man, it'd just be me by myself anyway since Heero's not here. I'd enjoy the company."

"Great. Could you all stand back please," Mirai instructed to the pilots. Gohan had already got up off the floor and picked up the sleeping Trunks, moving them both backward to make room.

The pilots stood and obeyed, watching curiously.

Mirai threw the capsule at the floor having activated it with a click. A small boom and a large puff of smoke later, a perfectly made tent sat in the middle of the room. Prepared for two, but with room to spare.

"Amazing!" Quatre gasped.

"Yeah, I guess so," Mirai shrugged. "It's everyday technology to us though. My Grandfather created them and then mass produced them when they became so popular. I could explain how they work but it would involve Quantum Physics,Statistic Mechanics and Thermodynamics. It'd turn out to be a long explanation."

"I'm tired after chasing you all day, Duo," Gohan muttered wearily. "Our coordinates landed us on a colony in space and we had to sneak onto a space shuttle to get to Earth. Then we had to walk part of the way here because flying would have attracted too much unwanted attention."

"Not that we didn't stand out enough with our fighting gi's on and my sword." Mirai scoffed with a smile.

"How did you know that I was here?" Duo asked.

"Oh that was easy." Gohan grinned. "We could never forget your odd ki signature. It stuck out a mile and acted like a beacon. You have among one of the most distinct life forces on the planet. It was a huge relief when we first arrived and managed to lock on to you. We didn't know if you were dead or alive until that point."

"Well… Surprise! But how did you know my whereabouts in Time? I could have been anywhere."

Mirai decided to answer as Gohan went about putting Trunks to bed in the tent. "My mother came up with a tracking device that can follow the unique ion trail that the Time Machine left behind. As soon as you disappeared we worked fast before the trail dissipated and we managed to trace your co-ordinates to this time. When we built the new Time Machine we just programmed in the information and followed you." He frowned. "Though, it didn't allow us to travel to the exact place in Time where you landed. The ion trail travelled through Time exactly parallel to ours, like an unbendable ruler, so because eight years has passed for us, the time difference was mirrored here. If we could have, we would've just jumped to the exact moment you landed in this future."

Well that explained Duo's question of why they were eight years too late.

"One more question before we call it a night," Duo bargained. "When did you arrive?"

"We left home at 7.40am and the journey took about an hour, so it would have been around 8.40am that we re-materialised in this Time."

"Ah ha! So it was you sensed this morning at breakfast! Your power levels were mind blowing! I haven't felt anyone that strong for a long time and you sent my senses into overloaded. My brain just about short-circuited in protest and it gave me one hell of a headache. It put me off my food all day."

"Sorry," Gohan apologised deeply. "We'll keep our power levels suppressed while here. I know how much food means to a Saiyan." Gohan and Mirai looked amused at Duo's frenzied nod.

"What is a Saiyan?" Quatre asked.

Duo groaned dramatically and quickly avoided the topic. "No more questions! Perhaps I'll answer that in the morning."

"It is morning in precisely five more minutes." Wufei smirked, glancing at Duo's alarm clock. It had been knocked askew by Duo's unprovoked attack on the lamp that used to share the same bedside cabinet, but it had dodged destruction.

"Don't go all smart ass on me, Fei. Questions will be answered only after breakfast. Now get out of my room!"

Trowa stalked out of the door with a simple, "Goodnight." And Wufei followed with out saying anything. Quatre paused looking reluctant to leave, but then he exited, turning at the door to politely say, "It's been a pleasure meeting you. Goodnight and sleep well." Then he was gone.

Duo sighed and his shoulders sagged wearily.

"Nice choice of friends you have there," Mirai commented to Duo.

"Yeah, I wouldn't change them for the world." Duo smiled. "Hey Mirai can you please take Goten off me? I need a quick shower and some clean clothes so I can go to sleep. I hate the smell of blood and I hate being covered in it even more."

Mirai stepped around the tent to take the lightly snoring boy out of Duo's arms.

"Thanks. Night, guys. I won't keep you awake; I shouldn't take long in the shower." He said walking towards the bathroom. "Oh and you had all better be here in the morning because I don't want to wake up and find out that this has all been some bizarre dream, OK?"

"No problem," Gohan poked his head out of the tent door and flashed a smile. "Same goes for you though. Night." And he retreated back into the tent.

"Night Duo," Mirai said before stepping into the tent with Goten secured in his arms.

Duo grinned like a loon as he moved to the side bathroom. He couldn't believe they were actually here!

Luck had been against him for years but perhaps it was finally turning around?

He wasn't going to voice that hope in fear that he'd jinx it.


End file.
